“Plato” is one of the three great philosophers of ancient Greece, along with his teacher “Socrates” and his disciple “Aristotle”. Many consider him the utmost philosopher of history. “Of the Greek authors who at the Renaissance brought a new life into the world Plato has had the greatest influence” (Jowett). The most important surviving book by Plato is "The Republic".
This book has 10 dialogues about justice, death, imitation, tyranny, and so on. Plato is the first person to describe and criticize different governments in the book of the “Republic” (Chopra). He is rightly called "the father of idealism in philosophy, politics and literature" (Jowett). In particular, his theory of government is in a systematic harmony with his knowledge of man and society in harmony with justice and the human ideal (Blitz & Hoffpauir). Therefore, Plato's teachings have been the source of inspiration and discussion of all thinkers and the most authoritative philosophical and political circles in the world for centuries.
According to Plato, society plays an important role in human well-being. The main foundations of Plato's political thought are the fusion of reason and the rule of the elites. He believed that not all human beings have the same ability and talent (Jowett). Hence, the "elites" who are superior to ordinary people in terms of intelligence and leadership are the most qualified people to take over the key affairs of society, especially in government and judgment (Chopra). As Plato stated, knowledge and ethics that only a few elite can afford, are the most important guarantee against important dangers such as incompetence, perversion and corruption of the government. Plato also sought the path to the "utopia" from his epistemology. This was the way of "philosophy". In order to get rid of evil and misery to achieve salvation and prosperity, either philosophers must come to power or leaders must become philosophers (Freeden, et al.). In this regard, one of Plato's most famous statements says, "As long as philosophers become kings or the kings and princes of this world combine the spirit and power of philosophy and political greatness and wisdom, cities will never be free from their evil" (Philosopher King). Thus, experts and scholars in this field always discuss the study of the five ideal states that Plato intended.
Plato describe five types of regimes, which are categorized from good to bad governments, starting with aristocracy at the top and tyranny at the bottom. The first government supported by Plato was the "aristocratic" government (Jowett). Aristotle from the Greek word “Aristos” means the best and most worthy, and in Greek political philosophy means the rule of those closest to the ideal of human perfection. This regime is ruled by a philosopher king and is therefore based on reason and wisdom. The task of the ruler of the state is to impose the order established by the philosophers on the majority (Freeden, et al.).
Plato's second government is “Timocracy”, which is patterned after Sparta. “Philosophers will lose their power to warriors, who are cruder and less knowledgeable about philosophy, leading to Timocracy” (Jowett). In the other word, Aristocracy becomes a transformation when, due to a miscalculation of the ruling class, the next generation includes people of a lowly nature who force people towards themselves .Timocracy has completely escaped all aristocratic features, and according to Plato, this regime is a combination of good and bad features. The governors of such a regime value military honors over intellectual tools, and the Timurid man, in addition to being fierce and violent, has a courageous nature (Plato's Political).
The next government discussed by Plato is the oligarchic regime. A system of government that distinguishes between rich and poor. A Timocrate government can work well for wartime but not for peace. In times of peace, the rulers move towards capital accumulation and the laws change in favor of the rich, thus paving the way for the establishment of an oligarchic government. The person who emerges from this governmental structure is the one who collects wealth (Blitz & Hoffpauir). Oligarchy then degenerates into a democracy. Class differences and the weakness of the affluent classes due to the abundance of blessings lead to a victorious revolution by the lower masses. The poor win. People are free to do what they want and live as they want (Jowett).According to Plato, it is prevalent in this unrestrained government. The uninformed public also allows itself to be involved in governance issues. The ruler prefers unnecessary desires to essential needs and seeks pleasure (Plato's Political).
Finally, the last government discussed by Plato is an authoritarian government. Plato puts tyranny after democracy. Where no one has order and society is in chaos, power must be seized to establish order (Arain). Someone appears and tries to seize power and establish order. This process leads to the formation of the oppressor. People start hating him and eventually try to expel him, but they realize that they are not able to. Plato considers this regime is the worst form of government, and the ruler does many horrible things, such as murder and looting (Jowett).
In conclusion, Plato's teachings have had a significant impact on the minds of thinkers to this day. However, after many years of Plato's teachings today, I think that, there is no doubt that in the real human world, the existence of Plato's desirable elites who ignore family life and wealth is only a dream. Nevertheless, democracy, despite its internal weaknesses, has many possibilities and capabilities for the general growing of people in society. Therefore, Plato's elitism has maintained its importance from the perspective that the knowledge and power of the leading should be used to complete democracy and overcome its weaknesses. In politics, from Plato's point of view, there are very instructive details that can be studied and used.
Works Cited
Arain, 007. “Plato’s Ideal State.” cssforum. May 09, 2011.
Blitz, Mark. & Hoffpauir, Michael. “Plato’s Political Thought.” oxfordbibliographies. June 26, 2019. https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199756223/obo-9780199756223-0198.xml
Chopra, Rushat. “Plato's republic the 5 regimes.” Academia. Aug 9, 2017.
Freeden, Michael. Sargent, Lyman Tower & Stears, Marc. "The Oxford Handbook of Political Ideologies." Oxford University Press. Aug 2013.
Jowett, Benjamin.” The Republic by Plato.” Classics. 1994-2009.
http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/republic.1.introduction.html
“Philosopher King.” shmoop University. 2020.
“Plato's Political Philosophy.” politics. Virginia. 2020.
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