Plato held that a just state would be run by philosopher guardians. Plato thinks that, given their education, talents, virtues and the way their lives would be controlled in his Republic, such people are the best possible rulers. Is he right about this?
One of the contradictions in Platonic philosophy is that its oligarchic structure of rule by philosopher kings who are 'the best' and 'most fit' to create a 'just' state embodies an antidemocratic and unjust philosophy. The idea that only those temperamentally fit to rule should rule has often been used to justify tyranny. Socrates, at the beginning of the Republic, calls for his listeners to strive to live a good life, not one that is merely pleasurable or self-serving. However, despite his calls for justice, a society which denies individual autonomy can never be just and dictatorships almost inevitably produce self-serving regimes.
At the beginning of the Republic, Socrates gets into a heated argument with Glaucon, who states that 'might makes right' and that all human beings will act unjustly if given ultimate power. Socrates states that the type of dictatorship advocated by Glaucon is morally wrong, because the best individuals are not able to rule, only the strongest and most brutish. However, Socrates also argues against the position advocated by Thrasymachus, who empowered ordinary people to argue their positions in courts of law. Socrates believes that only reasoned philosophers can know the truth and provide moral guidance, and manipulating words is not synonymous with morality. This also means that Socrates...
In this ideal world, the philosopher kings are not tempted to take advantage of their position, and it is assumed that the best can be easily selected, and they always will be right. These same sorts of assumptions are used to justify dictatorships today. The leader or leaders are deemed to be infallible, they derive their authority on the basis of military rather than popular rule, and no questioning of their authority is permitted by ordinary citizens.
Plato meant for his system of justice to counteract the belief that justice is merely serving the interests of the stronger, and treating enemies badly and friends well. Abstract principles are supposed to be embodied in the virtues of the philosopher-kings. The idea that they may serve themselves is supposedly counteracted by preventing them from having families or accumulating personal wealth. However, many instances of corruption have been manifested in societies such as the communist Soviet Union and Eastern Europe where officially accumulating wealth was forbidden, but party leaders used their offices and political power…
