 Greek word – αριστος and κρατος
 Ancient Greece
 The few elite rule – a rule of the more advantaged by
birth or wealth
 Plato – rule of philosopher king – wisdom and reason
 Three classes:
 the ruling class – philosopher kings (who are otherwise
identified as having souls of gold);
 the auxiliaries of the ruling caste, made up of soldiers
(whose souls are made up of silver), and whose job in the
state is to force on the majority the order established by the
philosophers;
 and the majority of the people (souls of either bronze or
iron), who in contrast to the two first classes are allowed to
own property and produce goods for themselves, but who
are obliged to sustain with their own activities their rulers,
who are forbade to own property.
 a man whose intellect and body have been educated for
years in a rigorous system based on gymnastics and
contemplation of art, and whose soul has been made calm
by learning the Truth based on the Platonic Ideas.
 Plato says of this philosopher that he is the ideal governor
of any state precisely because his soul knows truths and has
experienced realities that are more powerful and joyful
than those pertaining to politics.
 Thus this man is not tempted to abuse power in his own
advantage, and through his knowledge of the true virtues,
he is able to model the citizens of his state into a good life.
 Choose one of the regimes of Plato and research for
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that on the web.
What are the characteristics of the form of government
you are examining?
What are the advantages of that regime
What are the disadvantages of that regime
Where would you say you can find such a form of
government today.