The Republic: Book VI

In Book 6 of the Republic, Plato embarks upon a discussion of philosophers being the ideal guardians of his state. This, as he reasons through Socrates, is due to their understanding of the immutable and unchanging realm of Forms, and their consequent disdain for all things earthly, mutable and ephemeral. This is analogous to the distinction we make between men who can see and those who cannot, and the confidence we rest on the former [misplaced or otherwise] is the trust Socrates places on the ability of philosophers to guide his republic. The “unphilosophical” nature is blindly caught in the myriad manifestations of the constant Forms. Thus the philosopher gains an edge over his unenlightened brethren, provided, of course, that he possesses all the other requisite skills necessary for his role as the guardian of the republic.

Socrates proceeds to describe the qualities that set the philosopher apart. A deep longing for knowledge, an acceptance of truth [being inseparable from the desire for true knowledge], a quick mind and strong memory, and an aversion to falsehood, mean mindedness and covetousness characterize the mind of the philosopher. Socrates’ swift reasoning is challenged by Adeimantus who politely accuses him of forcing conclusions and insinuates that he beguiles dissenters with dazzling rhetoric. He expresses his skepticism about philosophers being capable of shouldering any kind of responsibility, let alone helming the state. Socrates takes up two of Adeimantus’ major accusations against his tribe. 

• He uses the illustration of a ship whose captain is beset by ignorant contentious rebels refusing to accede to his power for their own interests as an analogy to that of the philosopher maligned by a blinded world. It is a matter of perspective and while the point of view of the majority is heeded, philosophers will continue to be considered useless.
• He answers the contention that apart from the “useless” philosophers, the profession is also plagued by a “depraved” majority. This is attributed to the same traits which mark out a man as being suited to the noble pursuits of philosophy. The qualities of temperance, fortitude, loftiness of spirit and the like, when subject to the wrong kind of training, will subvert the nature that bears these qualities.  The education given by public bodies is scathingly referred to by Socrates. Some other pernicious influences include the entry of untrained men into the profession and the misguidance of young unsure men by the fickle mob, which has resulted in the subject being misapprehended by most. In a bid to establish firmly that only men of superior traits and a noble bent of mind can either subscribe to the fruits of this rigorous discipline, or perish in the attempt, Socrates describes the effect of flattery on aspiring philosophers which inevitably result in them being led astray from the path of philosophy.

Having answered Adeimantus’s accusations satisfactorily, Socrates goes on to assert that none of the contemporary modes of governance are suited to philosophers, and that particular care should be taken to frame one that can not only accommodate philosophers, but also invest them with power. He suggests that instead of the fashionable dalliance with the subject that young learners indulge in and then desert as more tangible duties occupy them, philosophy should be taught in a way that when the scholar approaches old age and is free from worldly responsibilities, his mind can access the most complex dialectics of the subject. He also acknowledges his previously discussed notion of the ideal state being analogical to the ideal man. This can be achieved if the present philosophers are entrusted with responsibility of the state, or if present rulers cultivate an understanding of philosophy. The true philosopher, by emulating what is “orderly” and “godlike” can reflect those virtues in his own person. In an extended metaphor, he compares these men to painters who can only work on a clean slate, by an amalgamation of the ideal forms of justice, beauty etc. and their manifestations among human beings. He refers to the question of women and children as well as the proper education of the magistrates [their endurance through pleasure and pain and the testing of their dedication to the cause of the republic] before going on to highlight the scarcity of true philosophers due to the reasons mentioned above. Thus, Socrates establishes continuity between Book 6 and the previous books of the Republic by asserting that if a ruler with a genuinely philosophic bent of mind follows the legislations outlined in earlier sections, the ideal state will no longer be an impossible ideal.