The Republic by Plato - 7 - Philosopher Kings
Book Eight
Quote
"Unless communities have philosophers as kings ... there can be no end to political troubles."
Notes
Socrates and his friends now turn their thoughts to the question of whether this theoretical community is viable in reality. And why aren't any current political systems governed as well as this one they're imagining?
Socrates says the main reason is that philosophers need to be the ones in charge. Philosophers need to be kings. And until they are then there will always be trouble.
So who are the philosophers? What distinguishes them from anyone else? Socrates says that philosophers are those who desire and seek knowledge of reality in and of itself. "Philosophers are those who are capable of apprehending that which is permanent and unvarying, while those who can't, those who wander erratically in the midst of plurality and variety, are not lovers of knowledge."
True reality is eternal. Beauty in and of itself is eternal. Things participate in beauty, but over time they deteriorate and participate in ugliness, too. Non-philosophers are limited to this level of only seeing beauty in things, not beauty in and of itself.
A philosopher is in love with truth. They are "concerned with the pleasure the mind feels of its own accord, and have nothing to do with the pleasures which reach the mind through the agency of the body." Philosophers are concerned with the totality and they are not afraid of death.
Good memory is important, too: "Good memory, quickness at learning, broadness of vision, elegance, and love and affiliation to truth, morality, courage, and self-discipline."
Adeimantus says a lot of people who practice philosophy in the real world are "rotten to the core" and offer nothing to society — or that is how they are perceived. Socrates addresses this topic next.
He says that people and society do not make use of philosophers and they don't know how to. They don't understand what philosophy offers. That's not the fault of the philosophers.
Also, "the corruption of philosophers is inevitable," but that can't be blamed on philosophy itself either. Extremely gifted minds — minds that are most fit for philosophy — have the potential to be very good or very bad.
Socrates also addresses the Sophists who maybe call themselves philosophers, but they aren't real philosophers and they actually tarnish the name of philosophy. Sophists don't teach knowledge. They only teach "the attitude the masses form by consensus", aka popular opinion, which does not consistently correlate with what is truly right or wrong.
Since the true philosophers pursue knowledge despite what the masses like, they're inclined to be hated. Philosophy is a lonely pursuit that will isolate you from society if pursued truthfully. It's very rare for someone to do that.
The community they are imagining/creating will be more suited to the true philosophers and it won't cast them as troublesome outsiders. It will be hard, but not impossible, to get people to accept philosopher kings. The masses need to be shown who philosophers really are.
Key Takeaways
True philosophers might make the best kings, but do true philosophers want to be kings? It's a common feeling today that most people who would be best suited to govern are smart enough to stay out of politics. It'll be one thing to convince people that philosophers will make the best kings, but it'll be another to convince philosophers to become kings.
Plato does address this a little earlier, though too, saying that it's the duty of good people to take responsibility of ruling or else the cost they pay is to be ruled by incompetent people.
Socrates has a personal deity. As he is describing the kind of person who can become a true philosopher, and the conditions it takes to develop a true philsopher, Socrates mentions that "it's not worth mentioning my own case — the communications I receive from my deity — because there's either very little or no precedent for the phenomenon."
Is that what makes Socrates such a famous philosopher? Having a direct line of communication with some kind of deity?