The Important Role of Philosophy in Politics

In Plato’s The Republic, Socrates introduces the concept of the philosopher-king. He claims that since a philosopher’s main goal is to seek truth, they are unlikely to act on their selfish desires, only acting out of concern for the common good. Therefore, it is in the best interest of a city to let philosophers rule This is a dangerous claim to make A select group of people should not be given power with the presumption that they will always have the best interests of the state and citizens Philosophy should not be reserved for a specific minority; it should be pursued by all citizens, It is impossible to have perfect philosophers, as even the most capable philosophers are in danger of making errors in judgmentr If philosophers rule for the common good, then philosophy should be taught to everyone, not just those with a certain nature, Socrates’ argument for placing philosophers in a ruling position relies on the assumption that we live in a perfect, utopian world He claims that by nature, philosophers are so concerned with seeking truth that “they’ll recede from pleasures that come through the body” (Rep.

vi.4BSe), He also claims that philosophers must be orderly‘; if they are orderly, then they could never be “unjust or hard to deal with”.

This is not a realistic expectation; no matter how virtuous a philosopher is, they are always in danger of making errors in judgment and becoming unjustr Philosophy is about seeking truth, and if philosophers should rule because they supposedly know what is best for the city, then they cannot do what is best for the city without the input of the citizens, which includes both philosophers and non-philosophers.

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The power of the philosophers needs to be kept in check by someone. Without the input of non-philosophers, any discussion of issues and problems will always be between a very small eliter This silences the voices of many and excludes several different viewpoints, which can lead to gaps in arguments and false truths, the opposite of what philosophers should be searching for. Socrates addresses the issue that in reality, philosophers are either not as virtuous as they 1. Socrates defines orderly as “not greedy, slavish, cowardly, or boastful”  should be, or they are decent but are seen as unfit to rule by the majority.

He claims that even “the best»natured souls turn out exceptionally bad if they get a bad schooling” (Rept vi.491e) and explains, in his simile of the knowledgeable captain on a ship of ignorant sailors, that true philosophers are only seen as useless because citizens are ignorant and don’t know how to properly rule, which leads them to ignore the wisdom of philosophers (Reps vii488b-e)t If bad philosophers are the result of poor education, then the question of how to properly educate philosophers arises. Socrates claims that in order to produce good philosophers, people with the correct natures must be encouraged to pursue the “highest learning,” which is “the shape of the good, which is everything just [and] beautiful” (Rep, vi.505a)t However, when asked what good is, Socrates evades the question and claims to not “have enough of a start to even reach [his] opinion of it”.

Since there is no clear definition of what good is, then it is unclear how we should educate philosophers The definition of a good education is poorly explained, If Socrates means instead that we should give philosophers tools to seek good, then this education should not be restricted to an elite few. If philosophy is about caring for the common good, then everyone deserves to be educated Education benefits the entire city, meaning that it is the best interest of the peoples The more educated and informed citizens are, the more they will understand philosophy’s usefulness and benefits and how to engage in philosophical discussion, There will be a larger proportion of people that will be prepared to join in discussion about what is good for majority. If it is true that good philosophers are seen as useless by citizens because of their ignorance, the solution is not to put philosophers in power to rule over everyone else, The reason why philosophers are not in power is because their viewpoints are challenged by others There is no way to know if the reason citizens are opposed to the philosophers’ rule is because of their own ignorance or if there is valid reasoning behind their opposition. Challenges to arguments are necessary in seeking truth; philosophers must be able to adequately defend their points against any opposition or be forced to question their original stance.

Brushing off citizens’ opposition to rule by philosophers as merely ignorance is dangerous as it silences any criticism on the assumption that those in powerjust simply know best in every situation, which is not always the case While critical thought and philosophy can provide many crucial insights about politics, philosophy is not a pursuit that should be reserved for only the brightest elite. Although some people are naturally better philosophers than others, it is crucial that everyone has the opportunity to participate in discussion about decisions that affect their lives, This allows for a broader range of viewpoints to be incorporated, which decreases the chance of having gaps in arguments and provides more opportunities to challenge preconceived notions of the world. Philosophy’s full potential can never be accessed if only a select few engage in it; the only way that philosophy can be used to seek truth is through democracy.

References

1. Plato, and Raymond Larson. The Republic. Arlington Heights, IL: AHM Pub. Corp., 1979.