Perhaps, none of the great philosophers and thinkers of the ancient period have had as great an influence on modern political thought as Plato. Schooled by Socrates in the art of dialecticism, Plato’s works use dichotomy to explore various problems of human affairs. This essay uses the translation of Plato’s Statesman as provided by Joseph Bright Kemp published by Forgotten books.com. In the Statesman, Plato addresses the all-important question of political leadership and this essay analyses Plato’s concept of what constitutes ideal political leadership and what qualities a statesman should possess.
The main thesis of Plato’s Statesman revolved around the ideals of political leadership and what sort of qualities should a statesman possess. Plato believed that to rule required special qualities, the quantification of which required a full inquiry. The questions that Plato asks are eternal and have contemporary value. The central query of whether a statesman should be a person well versed in sciences or liberal arts is a question as valid today.
Undoubtedly, political leadership that encompasses statesmanship cannot rely purely on science and not have a grounding in liberal arts. A technocrat can possibly build efficient roadways, and railways, but may not understand the social construct of his populace and may ultimately fail to provide the requisite leadership because of a lack of knowledge of liberal arts. History is full of examples of such leaders who despite their marked successes ultimately caused more damage to their countries because of their failure to appreciate or understand liberal arts.
Stalin is one such example, under whose tyrannical rule the Soviet Union rose to great military strength but developed a society fearful of its leader who, in the end, has been credited with the deaths of over 20 million Russians through purges, forced migrations, and imprisonments.
Obviously, such leaders had never read Plato. Plato extols the virtues of a statesman stating that it is not the power of the statesman that is important but his knowledge. Thus statesmanship is not just a science but an art and a statesman’s art “may be called either the art of managing a herd, or the art of collective management” (Plato and Kemp 11). These are wise words indeed as, which can well be used in the modern world.
To further explain his treatise Plato uses the tool of dichotomy. Plato argues that to discover the real leader of men, there is a need to carry out subdivisions or use the analytical process of separating the herdsman from the herds. To do that art of management of men required further subdivision based on the principle of voluntary and compulsory (Plato and Kemp 37). Yet, to separate the leader from the ‘led’ requires further refinement of the dialectical process.
Here Plato uses the example of the art of weaving (Plato and Kemp 41) as an art of entwining the warp and the woof. Just as weaving is a complex process, so is the art of statesmanship. Using the analogy of weaving Plato explains the cooperative and causal elements of governance and also the seven classes (Plato and Kemp 59) of human endeavor that the statesman would have to look at.
Plato then turns to the practical problems of governance and lawmaking and here Plato proves his realistic qualities as opposed to his idealism when he says that “There can be no doubt that legislation is in a manner the business of a king, and yet the best thing of all is not that the law should rule but that a man should rule” (Plato and Kemp 68). Plato reasons that this is essential because the law does not perfectly comprehend what is noblest and most just (Plato and Kemp 68).
These are real problems that afflict human societies the world over. There are many instances where despite knowing that a crime has been committed, the criminal goes scot-free under the due processes of law. At such times, leaders may, at times have to take actions outside the jurisdiction of law based on universal values of just actions. That such instances happen are a fact and here Plato is trying to say that a statesman must understand that there are ‘many shades of grey’ that govern human affairs.
“A perfectly simple can never be applied to a state of things which is reverse of the simple” (Plato and Kemp 69). This statement applies perfectly to the present state of geo-politics where nothing is simple as it looks. Hence Plato’s aphorisms have contemporary relevance. A discourse is needed to discover the true statesman and such discourse can be achieved through a dialectical process that ultimately aims the improvement of us and others. In this dialectic, it becomes important to discuss the forms of government such as royalty, aristocracy, and democracy (Plato and Kemp 64). Whatever be the form of government, it can only be called a true government if the governors actually “possess the science, and are not mere pretenders whether they rule according to law or without law…. (Plato and Kemp 67)”.
This observation is just as true in the modern world where there are many leaders, who do not deserve to lead and there are many who govern beyond the pale of the law. Here Plato is trying to explain the dichotomy of democracies, of those that observe laws and those that neglect the laws. This is an important statement as in the contemporary world; there are democracies that deliver (US, UK, France to name a few) and democracies that are defunct (Pakistan, Bangladesh to name some).
Plato also observes that “democracy is the form in which to live is best (Plato and Kemp 83)”, a sentiment that is echoed by most communities in the world (if not their leaders). In the discourse, Plato offers some wise words on the relevance of both arts and science. The science of generalship is as important as is the art of advice for employing that science (Plato and Kemp 87).
Irrespective of the form of government, the statesman has to possess certain qualities. His chief characteristic is that he must possess the requisite knowledge. So great must be his knowledge, that he alone has the grasp of science, which is superior to law and written enactments. These sciences include those of generalship and law as also liberal arts such as a flawless gift of persuasion and oratory. A real statesman can never succeed if he does not possess these precepts of knowledge and attributes.
All qualities and values of human affairs are woven into the complex fabric of human affairs and it is the statesman who with his superior knowledge and qualities can weave the societal cloth and deliver just governance. Therefore statesmanship is both a science and an art. Therefore the web of political action requires a leader who is both courageous and careful (Plato and Kemp 100) who can manage all crises of human affairs in their correct perspective. A statesman would be one who can bind the ‘freemen’ and ‘slaves’ in the political fabric of his lands and bring forth happiness. Notwithstanding the prose, using words such as freemen and slaves, which was the political condition of his times, the main objective of the statesman, to provide for the happiness of his subjects holds true to date.
In conclusion, it can be said that the Statesman offers many useful pointers of governance and leadership which still have their relevance in the modern world. The author of this essay opines that Plato’s Statesman has certain relevance even today if read in context to the modern times and considering the conditions of the society during Plato’s time. Plato’s thesis that to be a statesman requires special attributes holds good even today. While Plato’s treatment of the subject using dialectics may not appeal to modern logical positivists and his allusions to a statesman being a sort of all-powerful philosopher-king may seem incongruent, the central tenet is just as relevant.
The challenges of the statesmanship of having to provide decisions both within and outside the pale of the law, of recognizing the relevance of ‘shades of grey’ in human affairs, and of having to be both courageous and careful are all qualities and attributes which define a good leader or a good statesman in the modern world. One can criticize the dialectics of comparing ‘men with beasts’ and ‘bipeds with quadrupeds’ as being superfluous verbosity for developing an argument, it would be, in the opinion of the writer be quite relevant for the development of a philosophical argument in Plato’s time.
Works Cited
Plato and Joseph Bright Kemp. Statesman. Charlestone: Forgotten Books, 1952.