A few days ago
Anonymous

help with plato quote?

“There will be no end to the troubles of the state or indeed of humanity itself until philosopher become kings or until those we now call kings really and truly become philosophers.”

its not that i really need help with the meaning of this quote, but i just need more ideas to add to my essay. this is what i got so far:

i dont agree with him because philosophers reach for what they know, according to them, is there, like in the allegory of the cave, in which the “freed” prisoners grasp for what they want. in other words, if philosophers were kings, they would want others to think for themselves, meaning they can do whatever they want, which will eventually lead to a lack of government, or an anarchy. there is also the possibility of a state to be encompassed in total and complete chaos.

do you agree? and why or why not? im not sure, and i dont want to seem stupid with my own answer, which almost always is considered stupid. thanx for your support(s).

Top 1 Answers
A few days ago
Babs

Favorite Answer

They wouldn’t necessarily want people thinking for themselves. They would assume they knew better than the people and simply pass down their proclamations. Just because someone “knows better” doesn’t mean they can be an effective leader. Leadership requires the ability to form a consensus amidst conflicting points of view OR the charisma to charm others into accepting that your point of view is the best and most enlightened. UNLESS, the philosopher-king governs dictatorially which is what Plato intended for him to do. The philosopher-king would simply know what was best for the people and act accordingly (which is COMPLETELY unrealistic).
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