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The Republic is a Socratic discourse in which Platos ideas are made known through the persona of Socrates. When challenged to describe justice within the first two books, Socrates offers to do so by imagining how the ideal city-state would function. He contends that the ideal society would be governed by a class of properly trained Guardians, who would mix a lively temperament with a philosophical outlook.
Socrates continues by talking about several facets of state life. Socrates is questioned about the feasibility of the society he describes by his interlocutors in the fifth book. He responds that this is only possible if philosophers rule the world or until the kings and princes of this world possess the spirit and force of philosophy. In his opinion, cities and the human race will never find relief from their horrors, and only then will this state have a chance at survival and seeing the sunlight of the day.
According to Socrates, the perfect philosophers characteristics are sincerity, moderation, justice, and sharp memory. However, it is noted that this ideal stands in stark contrast to reality because many philosophers are said to as complete rogues, and even the greatest of them are typically viewed as worthless (Harkins, 2018). Socrates uses the allegory of the Ship of State, wherein he contrasts Athenian democracy with a gang of revolutionary sailors contending to command a ships helm, to explain why philosophers have a bad image. Having no experience with navigation, the sailors reject the idea that it is a requirement for a pilot and criticize anyone who stands in the way of their objectives.
Then, Socrates admits that several philosophers are deceitful, but he explains this by saying they are raised in a deceitful culture. Returning to the idea of the ideal state, Socrates elaborates on how his Guardians would be educated to bring them complete and total knowledge of the Forms. Only in the ideal system will a philosopher be able to realize their full potential and be the savior of his country, as well as of themselves. After spending thirty-five years in school, potential Guardians must serve in lower-level positions for fifteen years to obtain life experience. They will be eligible to reign when they reach the age of fifty.
Aristotle outlines his views on how the ideal city should be run in his work Politics, which also critiques many parts of Platos political philosophy. Aristotle contends that every citizen should have an equal say in how the city is run rather than advocating the development of a governing elite like Plato does (Harkins, 2018). However, Aristotle does national in one passage (book 3, ch. 13) that if one or more citizens were discovered to have virtues far superior to those of their fellow citizens. It would be against the order of nature for them to be ruled by their inferior beings. They ought to therefore be managed to make kings in their state for life. While Aristotle comes even close to embracing the philosopher-king ideal in this passage, he does not explicitly state that this honorable ruler should be knowledgeable in philosophy. Finally, Socrates reiterates in this section of the discussion that the ideal condition is possible only if one or more philosophers were to gain control of a city. He says that if this were to occur, the easiest method for such a philosopher king to establish the ideal state would be to expel everyone older than ten, allowing him to raise the younger generation in line with philosophical ideals.
However, it is noted that this ideal stands in stark contrast to reality because many philosophers are said to as complete rogues, and even the greatest of them are typically viewed as being worthless. Socrates uses the allegory of the Vessel of State, in which he contrasts Athenian democracy with a gang of rebellious sailors contending for the possession of the helm of a ship, to explain why philosophers have a bad image. Having no experience with navigation, the sailors reject the idea that it is a requirement for a pilot and criticize anyone who stands in the way of their objectives. Afterward, Socrates admits that several philosophers are certainly corrupt.
Reference
Harkins, M. (2018). The politics of old age in Shakespeares king lear. Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies, 18(1), 128. Web.
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