...but have still not found the right way... Plato, through the words of Socrates, asserts that societies have a tripartite class structure corresponding to the appetite/spirit/reason structure of the individual soul. The appetite/spirit/reason stand for different parts of the body. The body parts symbolize the castes of society. Productive, which represents the abdomen. (Workers) — the labourers, carpenters, plumbers, masons, merchants, farmers, ranchers, etc. These correspond to the "appetite" part of the soul. Protective, which represents the chest. (Warriors or Guardians) — those who are adventurous, strong and brave; in the armed forces. These correspond to the "spirit" part of the soul. ***Governing, which represents the head. (Rulers or Philosopher Kings) — those who are intelligent, rational, self-controlled, in love with wisdom, well suited to make decisions for the community. These correspond to the "reason" part of the soul and are very few.*** According to this model, the principles of Athenian democracy (as it existed in his day) are rejected as only a few are fit to rule. Instead of rhetoric and persuasion, ***Plato says reason and wisdom should govern.*** As Plato puts it: ***"Until philosophers rule as kings or those who are now called kings and leading men genuinely and adequately philosophise, that is, until political power and philosophy entirely coincide, while the many natures who at present pursue either one exclusively are forcibly prevented from doing so, cities will have no rest from evils,... nor, I think, will the human race."*** (Republic 473c-d) Plato describes these "philosopher kings" as ***"those who love the sight of truth"*** (Republic 475c) and supports the idea with the analogy of a captain and his ship or a doctor and his medicine. According to him, sailing and health are not things that everyone is qualified to practice by nature. A large part of the Republic then addresses how the educational system should be set up to produce these philosopher kings. The way I have my browser running, disallows me to use all the options for editing, I don't want to change that, I would like to "Highlight" some parts of the above post, instead I will place 3 *** in front and at the back of the part...
Thank you for the Greek philosophy refresher, I forgot most that insightful teaching. So can you now help me understand what point you are trying to convey? My apologies that this doesn't quite resonate with me.
***Governing, which represents the head. (Rulers or Philosopher Kings) — those who are intelligent, rational, self-controlled, in love with wisdom, well suited to make decisions for the community. These correspond to the "reason" part of the soul and are very few.*** ***Plato says reason and wisdom should govern.*** ***"Until philosophers rule as kings or those who are now called kings and leading men genuinely and adequately philosophise, that is, until political power and philosophy entirely coincide, while the many natures who at present pursue either one exclusively are forcibly prevented from doing so, cities will have no rest from evils,... nor, I think, will the human race."*** ***"those who love the sight of truth"*** The point I wanted to make is, that we clearly are/have not(been)capable of separating the bad eggs from the good eggs and continue to allow the rotten ones from getting into critical positions and we may have had a relatively "enlighted" period in the 19th. century but that was quickly extinguished by the Industrial Revolution... So, I don't see the bright future on the horizon for Humans yet... (maybe bright as in an Atomic explosion but after that there would only be darkness)
“Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest” - Denis Diderot
