Introduction
Speaking about those who made a significant contribution to the development of philosophy, it is necessary to pay special attention to their ideas connected to the structure of a state. As for the latter, they may help to understand primary values and key ideas of certain philosophers deeper. Although philosophy is often regarded as the world of abstract ideas, many thinkers tried to express their attitude towards different government structures and present their concepts of ideal states with wise ruler or rulers and happy citizens. Plato who was one of the most famous Greek philosophers also described his vision of the ideal state in one of his works.
Ideal State Concept
To begin with, Plato was extremely interested in politics because he believed that its problems and challenges could be addressed only if rulers would be ready to consider the key notions of philosophy. Therefore, he claimed that it was impossible to conduct a policy that would make society better without applying the knowledge from different branches of philosophy. Reflecting on the nature of policy, Plato was likely to associate it with the act of salvation and protecting common people. To him, it was quite obvious that only those political leaders who were philosophers could contribute to the development of the ideal state. Speaking about the key values that such type of state could be based on, Plato paid special attention to the power of truth and the common good. Moreover, it is necessary to consider the great role of the state in the life of humanity that was another idea supported by Plato. To be more precise, he believed that the creation of the new state by the principles of justice working for both particular people and the entire society could become the process helping to understand the nature of humanity deeper. Therefore, one of the main concepts connected to Plato’s ideal state was justice that had to play the role of the key-value able to unite individuals.
Many philosophers who lived in different periods of human history were likely to have various opinions about social classes and communication between them. In many cases, their opinions were somehow connected to their origin. As for Plato, it is known that he was born in one of the richest and the most educated families of that time. Being a part of a group that had access to knowledge and power, he believed that the state needed to have some people who were cleverer than the others as it was one of the factors allowing the society to survive (Jackson 15). Reflecting on the ideal state, Plato singled out three functions of a state that he supposed to be the most important. They included control, production of material values, and protection. Taking into consideration these functions, he believed that it was necessary to have three social groups such as guardians, farmers, and rulers who had to be philosophers at the same time. Despite the differences between these social groups and various tasks that they were supposed to fulfill, Plato believed that such a structure would help the society to develop. To him, justice was impossible without allowing different types of people to devote their lives to the things that they liked the most.
Ideal State: the Division of Power
Moreover, Plato had a lot of ideas concerning the division of power in his ideal state. Although he believed that democracy could not help to create prosperity, it did not mean that his notion of justice was connected to the unlimited power of the rulers who were supposed to be driven by higher purposes, unlike other social classes. There is no doubt that Plato regarded the existence of social classes as a necessary division based on people’s primary values. Unlike guardians and farmers, rulers were supposed to possess the knowledge related to the meaning of life and the power of reason. The philosopher considered rulers to be not only the cleverest individuals but also the people who could promote moral values (Russell 14). Due to the power that they possessed, they had to be impeccable.
Plato’s Ideal State: Rulers and Guardians
Discussing Plato’s vision of the ideal state, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that two social groups such as rulers and guardians were interconnected. Thus, there was an opportunity for guardians to show themselves in the best light, demonstrate their courage and wisdom. Due to that, the best representatives of this group could join the ranks of leaders. Nevertheless, Plato thought that the supreme power had to belong to only one ruler. Thus, he thought that monarchy could be the basis of the ideal state. To become a monarch, one had to be part of the royal family. Moreover, Plato believed that it was urgent to educate future monarchs to secure the future of the state; in his opinion, being a child of the ruling monarch was not enough for the person to accede to the throne.
Plato’s Ideal State: Conclusion
In the end, Plato’s concept of the ideal state was based on the principle of justice and presented a kind of monarchy where citizens were divided into social groups by their primary tasks. Among other things, the primary values of this state were connected to education and morality, and this is why a lot of things that could become the sources of immoral ideas were banned.
Works Cited
Jackson, Jeff. “The Democratic Individual: Dewey’s Back to Plato Movement.” The Pluralist, vol.9, no.1, 2014, pp.14-38.
Russell, Bertrand. Philosophy and Politics. Cambridge University Press, 2016.