Was Plato a Monarchist? If Not, Where Does the Idea of the Philosopher-King Come From?
- May 26
- 1 min read
If ‘polyarchical’ means rule by more than one person, i.e., non-monarchical government, then the ideal government as depicted in the Republic is polyarchic. The regime Plato envisages is an aristocracy of the perfectly wise and good. These men have been chosen from among the guardian class (described as defensive warriors) for their aptitude for philosophy. They receive a special philosophical education leading to a vision of the Good, after which they are unable to make moral mistakes.
Note that the Republic is essentially a thought experiment (a ‘polity in the heavens’), not intended as an action plan. How Plato’s principles might be applied in founding an actual state is discussed in the Laws. (Sometimes the Laws is presented as a late development in his political thought, a departure from the principles explored in the Republic, but I am convinced by Julia Annas’ argument in Virtue and Law in Plato and Beyond (2017) that the fundamental principles of both works are the same.)
Plato’s aristocracy can therefore be seen as a species of political meritocracy—and a meritocracy of the most conservative kind, in which the candidates for the ruling class are chosen by co-optation…