Plato’s Ideal State or the Tribal Vision of the Secluded Society

Authors

  • MARCELA-MADALINA MACOVEI Ph.D. Candidate at Faculty of Philosophy and Social-Political Sciences, “Al.I.Cuza” University, Iasi,

Keywords:

Ideal state, Plato, Secluded society, Democracy, Justice

Abstract

In the space of political philosophy, Plato’s social and political project of forging an idealistic state, a state in which Justice is the capital virtue and in which the only law maker is a “pater familia”, the Philosopher King, is easy to dispute. The present study starts from Plato’s vision to generate an unbeatable social project founded on the ideas of Justice, Happiness and Good, in which every citizen has these virtues already inbred into his own self-will. The purpose of this study is to challenge the weak arguments on which Plato has forged his idealistic state, ruled by the Philosopher King. The one that will ascertain the totalitarian ways of Plato’s social and political study is Karl Popper, who will support his opinions in a series of arguments which will demonstrate the secluded vision of a state governed by Justice, Happiness and Good. Over time, it was proven that any totalitarian system originating from one of Plato’s philosophies has only promoted a more or less exclusive vision of caste system, closing forever the gates to an authentic government system, or a government system more open to new political solutions, more benign and more realistic than the one Plato has proposed.

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Published

14-07-2012