PHI 1103 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1-10: Dystopia
19 Apr 2015
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Document Summary
The sixth book of plato"s republic focusses on the argument for the philosophers as a political ruling class. In purely theoretical terms, a very strong case is made for the. However, practically, the argument made for a government based on the philosopher king collapses under the weight of its own unrealism. The strenuous criteria associated with the true philosopher, real world pressures put on these individuals, and public opinion toward philosophers all act as barriers to the ascendance of the philosopher king. These barriers are so numerous as to render government based on the philosopher king an unsustainable fantasy. Furthermore, the system of philosopher kings, if achieved must ultimately result in a dystopic, rather than utopic form of government. One of the greatest barriers that the system of philosopher kings faces as a sustainable form of government is their own nature. Based on these very exclusive criteria, true philosophic nature is difficult to come by.
