Plato was a famous political thinker and an idealist. He was the teacher of Aristotle, who is considered the father of political science and a realist/rationalist thinker. He said: “The city will become ideal when either philosophers become rulers or rulers somehow turn into philosophers.”
Major Works: The Republic, The Statesman, Apology, etc.
Ideal State: According to Plato, to make human beings morally perfect and to maintain peace and justice, an ideal state is necessary. Such a state can be established only by dividing society into three classes:
Ruling Class (Reason)
Warrior Class (Courage)
Working Class (Appetite/Desire)
Each class performs functions according to its natural capacity.
Philosopher Ruler: Plato believed that either the ruler should be a philosopher or a philosopher should become the ruler. A philosopher-king governs the state efficiently and effectively due to wisdom, knowledge, and love of truth rather than personal interest.
Warrior Class: Physically strong and courageous individuals are appointed to maintain law and order within the city-state and to defend it from external threats. Their strength and discipline ensure a powerful and secure army.
Working Class: The working class consists of professionals such as farmers, craftsmen, and traders. Their responsibility is to provide food and other necessities so that the ruling and warrior classes can perform their duties efficiently.
Sources of Corruption and Their Control: Plato identified mind, family, and property as the main sources of corruption. Education is the best tool to purify the mind and eliminate corruption. For the ruling and warrior classes, there will be no private family or property. This system is known as the communism of family and property. The state will regulate mating seasons. The best men will mate with the best women to produce the best future rulers and warriors. Children will be raised collectively, and the rulers and warriors will regard all children as their own. Women will have equal rights with men and will be equally capable of ruling the state.
Theory of Justice: In Plato’s ideal state, an unjust person becomes just and law-abiding. Justice exists when each class performs its assigned duties efficiently and effectively, according to its abilities. There is no interference in the functions or professions of other classes. This harmony among classes constitutes justice in the state.
Theory of Education: Plato advocated a state-controlled education system to produce dutiful citizens and efficient, public-spirited administrators. He considered education the foundation of a just state. Hence, Rousseau observed: “The Republic is hardly a political work at all; it is the finest treatise on education ever written.”
Plato divided education into two stages, with tests at each level to select the most capable individuals.
1. Elementary Education (Ages 3–20) — Compulsory
3–6: Moral stories
7–18: Reading, writing, music, poetry, mathematics, and gymnastics
19–20: Advanced physical training
Students who fail at this stage become lower-rank soldiers, while competent but less distinguished students enter statecraft and professions.
2. Higher Education (Ages 21–35)
21–30: Advanced mathematics and sciences
31–35: Dialectics and ethics
Less distinguished students join administrative services, whereas the best continue further training. After completing education by 35, selected individuals undergo 15 years of civil and military training. At 50, those who show exceptional ability become the ruling class, giving rise to Plato’s concept of the Philosopher-King.
Rule of Philosophy: The philosopher-rulers, trained intellectually and practically, govern without constitutional constraints. Plato likens their authority to that of a doctor over a patient: just as a doctor prescribes what is necessary for health, the philosopher-ruler decides what is best for the state.