Plato, was an aristocratic philosopher who was educated under the wing of the ever engaging Socrates. Today, his beliefs and writings litter the ideals of a vast number of governments and his writings fill libraries. Plato’s book, The Republic, tells the story of Socrates as he debates the definition of justice with his comrades. During the course of the book, Plato relays his own thoughts and ideas for society, leaders, and meritocracy through the words of Socrates.
In, The Republic, the simple matter of unearthing the definition of justice quickly escalates into a full fledged expedition. After several definitions of justice, all of which have been rejected by Socrates, the men come to terms with the fact that no one truly understands justice in the individual. To resolve this, Socrates proposes finding justice on a larger scale that many are knowledgeable about- a city. To do this, he and his comrades must first find a perfect city where justice is evident. At this point, another reality presents itself…. no perfect society exists. Thus, Socrates is forced to design an imaginary city which quickly forms in the imagination of the men.
As Socrates creates the city, it is decided that in order for a certain amount of respect to be maintained among the people, they must all believe one essential myth. This myth says that all people come from one mother (the earth) and are each made of one of her fine metals; therefore all people are brothers and sisters. However, like true brothers and sisters each person differs slightly from one another making some more important than others. Those with the lowest value in the city are those who have souls made of bronze. These people are craft workers or farmers and possess only the traits of moderation and justice. Those who possess not only moderation and justice, but also courage are members of the middle class and have silver in their souls. These people take command as auxiliaries and are the warriors and soldiers of the city. The highest class in the city are the guardians who have gold in their souls. The guardians possess all the traits of bronze and silver members of the city but are also wise. These select few hold all of the important leadership positions and have the potential to become the Philosopher Kings of the city.
According to Socrates, all of the children in the city will have the same opportunities for education and advancement. This creates yet another problem; some parents provide better opportunities for their children than others. The result of this is that a handful of children that are more advanced than others. The solution to this issue is to have children reared by a nurse who cares for each child equally. This child-rearing by a nurse would also encourage communal parenting where the people of the city each help to raise the children; thus bringing the people of the city closer.
As the children grow and are educated, a number of them will find themselves better at some skills than others and will work towards enhancing that specific skill. For instance, those who find themselves good at metal working but bad at arithmetic will train as blacksmiths. This coupled with communal childrearing would create an ideal meritocracy. Or a society where a person can move up or down the social ladder based on their own merit and not due to the social status of their parents.
There is a certain amount of harmony that emanates from the people of the perfect city. This harmony is the result of a pure meritocracy which cannot exist without the essential myth discussed previously. According to Plato a meritocracy is necessary, he records Socrates as saying; “Each one of us must mind his own business according to nature” (Bloom131). Meaning that each person must do only what they are best at; a blacksmith should not attempt to be a poet just as a poet should not also be a blacksmith. Without a meritocracy the members of society would not do what they are best at and therefore would not excel in their given field. An example of this is that of a child of a ruler who has no mind for ruling and struggles at ‘higher thinking’ even after a rigorous education; a child like this should not be a ruler. Nevertheless, in a society that is governed by a monarchy the child would become a leader; regardless of how much damage they may cause to the society.
Unlike a monarchy, the meritocracy of this imaginary state causes all of the children of rulers to have the same chances of becoming guardians as any of their fellows. In other words, all potential rulers must prove to the society that they have gold in their souls and are wise before they are ever allowed to take command of the city. To prove themselves, potential guardians must undergo intense educational and physical training. Potential guardians or auxiliaries must be trained, at a young age in gymnastics and basic schooling. As they grow older, the education becomes more intensely focused on philosophy but gravitates more towards physical training. Socrates says the following about this training, “When they are youths and boys they ought to take up an education and philosophy suitable for youths, and take very good care of their bodies at the time when they are growing and blooming in to manhood, thus securing a helper for philosophy. And as they advance in age to the time when the soul begins to reach maturity, it ought to be subjected to a more intense gymnastic” (Bloom 178).
Plato emphasis on auxiliaries and guardians being trained intensively in gymnastics has many purposes. This training of the leaders presents its benefits in the health and longevity of life of the guardians. Without this mandatory training the guardians would perhaps become sickly and appear to be weak. It is this gymnastic training that would also separate the philosophers from the sophists of the time. Sophists are personal instructors who teach their students for a small fee, and believe that there is no ultimate truth. Philosophers on the other hand, teach in public and without charge; they also possess the belief that with careful investigation truth can be found. During the era in which Plato lived the sophist were despised by the people of Athens. Unfortunately for Socrates and numerous other philosophers, philosophers were often mistaken as members of the ‘sophist alliance’ and prosecuted accordingly.
The guardians of Plato’s society, though they possess great power, are not sophists. The guardians are better rounded than their sophist counterparts because they participate in gymnastics, military training, and have an intensive lifestyle. The sophists on the other hand are not very agile due to their intense focus on education whether it be their own or another’s. Sophists, because they are paid to be teachers, live comfortable lifestyles which overtake them, causing them to become soft and loose any common sense; or worse causing them to care more for physical possessions.
Those few who are selected to become guardians face not only a rigorous education, but a difficult life as well. Unlike the homes of many rulers the guardians live in communal barracks and eat all of their meals together in a mess hall. Guardians are also not permitted to have personal possessions besides those necessary for everyday living and survival. Even if the guardians did wish to acquire personal possessions, they would not be able to purchase them as they receive no pay. In return for their hard work everything that a guardian requires is donated by the people of the city. This being said, there is little reward for the hard work and struggles that being a guardian entails.
The life of a guardian is indeed a tough one, but it is necessary for their lives to be brutal and meager. If the guardians were rich and spoiled they would care more for themselves and their own wealth than for the city and its people. The existence and future of the city depends on superior leaders who can make wise and unbiased decisions. If the guardians were wealthy they would wish to maintain their own wealth and would therefore construct laws that benefited them and not the city. Another important aspect of the powerful guardian class is that most would not want to be guardians as it has almost no positive benefits. In fact the life of a guardian may be more harsh and dismal than the lives of other less privileged classes. This brutal lifestyle results in guardians who rule not because they want to, but because they feel they have to for the benefit of the city. He “spends his time in philosophy but when his turn comes drudges in politics and rules for the city’s sake, not as though he were doing a thing that is fine, but one that is necessary” (Bloom 219). This idea that former soldiers should take leadership positions in society has been seen in society many times in the past hundred years. Winton Churchill served in the English military before becoming prime minister of England; John McCain is also veteran soldier and has become a candidate for the 2008 presidential election in the United States.
From The Republic, it is fair to draw the assumption that Plato believes that the smartest and wisest should in fact be the rulers. This is because they would have no hidden agenda and have the ability to break away from the cycle of ignorance into the cycle of truth unlike their fellow humans. Plato gives an example of this in the allegory of the cave where Socrates describes why the philosophers should be in control of the city. It says that if a group of people were only allowed to see shadows for their entire life that they will believe that the shadows are the real world. If one of the people are led up, out of the cave and allowed to see the world as it truly is they will have to choose between two assumptions. The first of these assumptions being that the shadows are not real and that the lighted world is real. The second is that the shadows are the real world and the lighted world is an illusion. A true philosopher would come to the conclusion that the first assumption is the truth. This allegory denotes that only a philosopher can see the truth and consequently should be the only one who leads a society.
Plato, is a philosopher who believes in meritocracy, but is an elitist. He is not an elitist in the sense that he discriminates against those who are in the lower classes. On the contrary, Plato thought that only those fit to rule should be in command; even if it meant accepting a ruler whose parents are in the lowest class. Plato believes in leadership by the wisest most courageous people of a city. In opposition to everyday belief that leaders live rich and luxurious lives, Plato reasons that rulers should lead meager lives and should be tough. Plato’s viewpoints have sculpted many governments, but his ideals have yet to reform any society to a point where meritocracy and well rounded leaders are as important as in The Republic.
Bibliography
Bloom, Allan. The Republic of Plato. Second Edition. Perseus Books Group, 1991.
