{"id":7083,"date":"2025-08-08T15:21:27","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T15:21:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/platos-ideal-state-and-why-it-is-an-impracticable-reality\/"},"modified":"2025-08-08T15:21:27","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T15:21:27","slug":"platos-ideal-state-and-why-it-is-an-impracticable-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/platos-ideal-state-and-why-it-is-an-impracticable-reality\/","title":{"rendered":"Plato\u2019s Ideal State and Why it is An Impracticable Reality"},"content":{"rendered":"

Statesmanship\u00a0is an art requiring careful and planned management of\u00a0the\u00a0State affairs. Who we give this power to needs to master it before\u00a0coming to rule. But who is this person? In democracy, it is whoever WE\u00a0elect, in monarchy, it\u00a0is the hereditary monarch, in oligarchy, it is a few in shared power, in anarchy, it is no one, and so on.\u00a0Every form of Government is good as well as bad; the ruler needs to plot out\u00a0which\u00a0set-up\u00a0will work the best for\u00a0their\u00a0State.\u00a0For Plato\u00a0(428\/ 427 BCE\u00a0\u2013\u00a0348\/ 347 BCE),\u00a0an ancient Greek philosopher,\u00a0this\u00a0best\u00a0set-up\u00a0was Aristocracy\u00a0(\u201c<\/span>Aristos<\/span><\/i>\u201d meaning \u201cbest\u201d and \u201c<\/span>Kratos<\/span><\/i>\u201d meaning \u201crule,\u201d therefore, the\u00a0<\/span>\u201crule by the best<\/span><\/i>\u201d), where\u00a0a selected few\u00a0with high social ranks would govern.\u00a0To understand Plato\u00a0and his ideologies better, it is desirable to study the environment\u00a0that nourished him.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Era of Socrates<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Socrates\u00a0(477 BCE \u2013 399 BCE)\u00a0mentored\u00a0Plato. He\u00a0was\u00a0not\u00a0a philosopher originally. He\u00a0used to serve diverse occupations ranging from sculpting to guarding the State. It was only when the\u00a0Oracle at Delphi<\/em> had pronounced him to be the wisest of the Greeks that he set on a philosophical journey to prove them wrong.\u00a0And, today, he is rightly regarded as the father of Western Philosophy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During his\u00a0reign, youths would flock around\u00a0him\u00a0to collect the wisdom that he poured, Plato being one among them.\u00a0He taught them this wisdom\u00a0by\u00a0dialectics.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Socrates\u2019 Criticism of Democracy<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Socrates\u2019 criticism of democracy came mainly due to it letting even those without the learned knowledge of politics vote. He wanted only the selected best to cure an ill State, like how one would want only the most qualified, skilled and educated to treat their illness. So, when the democratic revolution came in, his legacy was over, for he was the alleged intellectual leader of the revolting party and the fountainhead of the aristocratic philosophy. Charges of \u201c<\/span>corrupting\u00a0the\u00a0youth<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0\u201c<\/span>impiety<\/span>\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i>were framed against him. And, from\u00a0hereon,\u00a0Plato discusses\u00a0the\u00a0tragic\u00a0fate\u00a0of the philosopher\u00a0in\u00a0his books\u00a0<\/span>Phaedo, Crito, Euthyphro,\u00a0<\/span><\/i>and\u00a0<\/span>Apology.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The\u00a0Impact of Socrates on Plato\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Plato was twenty-eight when Socrates passed away. His hatred for democracy and the democratic leaders fuelled even more. To ensure his safety, he was urged by his friends to leave Athens (399 BCE). For twelve years he wandered the distant lands of Egypt, Sicily, Italy, Judea and the banks of the Ganges<\/span>\u2014\u00a0<\/span>every visit\u00a0shaping his\u00a0very ideology of the State\u00a0that Greece lacked.\u00a0The year 387 BCE\u00a0marked his return to Athens\u00a0and\u00a0the establishment of his university,\u00a0<\/span>The\u00a0Academy<\/span><\/i>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Plato\u2019s Ideal State\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Plato\u2019s ideal State, chiefly discussed in his book, the <\/span>Republic<\/span><\/i>,\u00a0represents\u00a0the utopian vision of the philosopher\u00a0of governance and societal structure.\u00a0He\u00a0believed that the\u00a0State is\u00a0what it is because its people are what they are<\/span>\u2014<\/span>that the human nature\u00a0flows\u00a0from three main sources:\u00a0<\/span>desire, emotion,\u00a0<\/span><\/i>and<\/span>\u00a0knowledge.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0Desire\u00a0sits\u00a0in the loins;\u00a0emotion,\u00a0in the heart,\u00a0in the flow and force of the blood,\u00a0and\u00a0knowledge, in the\u00a0head.\u00a0Everyone has these qualities, just in varying degrees.\u00a0Some are absorbed in the material quests; burning with the lust for luxuries\u00a0and show; rating their gains as \u201cnothing\u201d and\u00a0desiring\u00a0more. These\u00a0people dominate and manipulate\u00a0the industry. Then there are some who are pugnacious, who always take pride in their power and find joy in the\u00a0battlefield. They are courageous\u00a0and thus, best suited for\u00a0the\u00a0military and navy. Lastly, a few\u00a0yearn\u00a0for\u00a0meditation and knowledge,\u00a0whose haven is\u00a0the\u00a0\u201ctruth\u201d.\u00a0These are the men of wisdom.\u00a0Plato\u2019s ideal State was built\u00a0to\u00a0reflect\u00a0the ideal individual.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Principles Highlighted in Plato\u2019s Ideal State<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The following principles for his State\u00a0were envisaged by Plato-<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>1. Tripartite Division of Society\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The society would be divided into three classes-<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n