The Political Philosophy Of Plato's Allegory Of The Republic

One of the most well-known works of Plato is his «Republic» in which he describes the ideal state. This concept is very important for understanding Plato’s political philosophy. From the beginning this work was criticized by many scholars and there was and still is an argument whether Plato’s State can be called closed and consisted of authoritarian society without freedom or not. That is the question I will try to answer in my essay.
Describing the ideal state, Plato divides the inhabitants into three classes, as well as he divides the human soul into three parts. The third estate or the lower class includes artisans, farmers and other people, working mainly with their own hands (common people). The second class is soldiers that guard the state. And finally the first one is guardians (philosophers). The first estate comprises people who are not interested in their personal gain and whose main and the only interest is the achievement of the common good. According to Plato’s «Allegory of the Cave» only philosophers can understand what the common good is and make people follow them «from darkness to light»1. …show more content…
If the state is governed by the soldiers, it becomes very bellicose. The guards start thinking about their own interests — so, they claim to have private property. Thus, the oligarchy — the power of the rich — forms in the state. It leads to discontent of the lower class, and a war may break out between the poor and the rich. In this war the poor are the winners because of their numerical superiority. Common people take control over the republic and it leads to the power of the majority. This is exactly from what Plato wants to protect the state - from Democracy. As for Plato, the majority cannot see the common good. In this case, the state either falls apart, or tyranny sets