7/17/2019 A Reflection on Plato's Political Writings

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MAGNO, MA. TRACEZA NICOLE G. 9/6/15

3POL2 POL262

A REFLECTION ON PLATO’S WRITINGS

In support of the six regime types that Plato put forward in The Republic, I nowdraw attention to how history may be viewed as a struggle among these six regimetypes. The growth of the Greek citystates, for example, as we have studied, featuredthe paradigm shift among the six regime types. !rom the earliest possible accounts of the Greek civili"ation, as #omer depicted in Iliad and $dyssey, a loose form of aristocracy existed% a patriarchal kingship based on the preeminence of some families.

 &s the aristocracy was not based on any formal agreement among people and iteventually proved to be incapable of accommodating their general will, it was easy for acapable and ambitious individual to usurp power and begin tyranny. To avoid another repressive rule, democracy became the popular regime. Though a number of past andpresent forms of government have displayed slight deviations from Plato's regime

classification, his ideas proved to maintain canon status and withstand the test of time. &mong the six regime types, Plato championed one( aristocracy. #e set outparameters in order to sustain the core of this regime which is virtue. #e even went sofar as to prohibit trade, commerce and family life as these three promote selfinterestand competition% thus, violating the initial form of communism he presupposed.#owever, I believe that such a society will be stagnant% without competition, people willnever aim for development. It is in the hope to surpass or at least measure up toanother's capabilities that civili"ations desired for improvement and prosperity. I alsofind his claim that poets should be banished for being radical emotional beingspreposterous because, as we may remember, )ocrates was executed because thepeople then believed he promoted radicalism among the youth. This way, Plato wishes

to prohibit the same radicalism he exhibits. #e wrote his books in prose but in the formof dialogues which displays that he wanted to present his ideas in a creative way. #owdifferent is he then from poets*

In reali"ing that his ideas were too idealistic, he formulated another type of regime by combining the monarchic principle of wisdom and virtue with the democraticprinciple of peace. #is theory then became the foundation of the theory of theseparation of powers which, until today, is what states practice. +ut what has beenfreuently uestioned regarding Plato is his concept of the philosopher king which I findinapplicable to today's political situation. &ccording to Plato, to be a philosopher king,one must possess certain ualifications such as old age, wisdom, and virtue. #owever,this criteria must be revised. !irst, because virtue is a vague basis since each politicianhas partisans that declare them as righteous. -hose udgment, then, is correct*)econd, the political scandals today, in which the principal actors are politicians whopossess both old age and wisdom, or at least knowledge, serve as anomalies thatinvalidate Plato's idea about the ualities of a philosopher king% old age and wisdomdoes not translate to good and honest governance.