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The period of Classical Greece lasted from c. 550BC to around c. 323BC and gave birth
to some of the most intellectually gifted men this world has ever seen. One such man was an
Athenian named Plato. Plato is regarded as the “Father of Philosophy.”1 Scholars have credited
his works for their importance to philosophy. As described by Garasimos Santas in his article
“Plato”, Alfred Whitehead and Bertrand Russell, both major philosophers in the twentieth
century, remarked, “Philosophy is a series of footnotes to Plato, and … philosophy can be
defined as the sum total of all those inquiries that can be pursued by Plato’s method.”2 For the
purpose of this examination into Plato’s life, one must look at, arguably, one of his most famous
books, The Republic. By examining The Republic, one can look at how much Classical Athens,
embodied with fragile political control, constantly changing hands between oligarchs and
democrats, and Plato’s political upbringing within this chaotic period has contributed to his
views and believes of a “perfect city”. This article stresses Plato’s description in Book III of The
Republic and his creation of a three tiered social class system. This class model is commonly
referred to as extraordinary, but with analysis of his life it can be proven that Plato’s utopian city
is nothing more than the aristocratic model in which he was raised.
Plato lived in Athens during the Classical Age in Greece (c. 427-c.347 BC). He was the
son of an Athenian aristocrat, who had ties all the way back to Solon. Solon was the first
legislator of Athens and played a key role with the installation of Democracy.3 Plato was hence
able to grow and learn in the political sphere of his time.4 Living in Athens, he was educated by
1
Gerasimos Santas, “Plato 427BC-347BC”, in Meet the Philosophers of Ancient Greece, Patricia F. O’Grady, ed.
(Ashgate Publishing Limited 2005), 127.
2
Santas,“Plato 427BC-347BC,” 127.
3
Santas,“Plato 427BC-347BC,” 127.
4
Richard Kraut, “Plato”. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Edward N. Zalta,ed. (Fall 2013 Edition)
<http://Plato.standford.edu/arcgives/fall2013/entries/plato/>
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Pre-Socratic Philosophers, Sophists, and most importantly, Plato was a student of Socrates, a
highly respected questioner of his time.5 Growing up within the political elites who ran the
Athenian government and being born and raised when the Peloponnesian War was taking place,
Plato was constantly immersed with knowledge of military battles between rival polises and
political upheavals within Athens . Gerasimos Santas describes in his article Plato a little about
the early life of the great philosopher:
His early experiences including the Peloponnesian War, bitter civil wars and tyrannies,
and the trial and death of Socrates during the restored Athenian democracy in 399.
Embittered by this experience, Plato did not enter Athenian politics, the usual destiny of a
young aristocrat. Instead, he began to write dialogues in which Socrates questioned his
fellow citizens about dominant values of the day, their conceptions of virtue and
happiness; and in 380s, Plato created the first university in Europe, Plato’s Academy.6
Plato lived in a time full of many changes. Athens had been growing in power ever since
the year of 454BC, when the Delian League treasury was moved from Delos to Athens. With the
creation of the Delian League in response to the Second Persian War, Athens and many other
polises began to associate and see each other as Greek. This bond was described in Polly Low’s
book titled The Athenian Empire, “The Delian League was the first of a number of major
instances in classical Greek history of the deployment of Panhellenism.”7 She continues by
explaining that this Pan-Hellenic bond allowed Athens to create hegemony. This is where one
polis has control over many others to unite under a common goal to fight and protect themselves
from future attacks, typically by the Persians.8 Around the year 431BC, Athens had grown into a
major super power within the Greek world. This gave birth too many rivalries between Greek
polises, such as Sparta, to resent and even fear the growing Athenian empire. War soon followed
5
Richard Kraut, “Plato”. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Edward N. Zalta, ed. (Fall 2013 Edition)
<http://Plato.standford.edu/arcgives/fall2013/entries/plato/>
6
Santas, “Plato 427BC-347BC,” 127.
7
Polly Low, The Athenian Empire (Edinburgh University Press, 2008), 18.
8
Polly Low, The Athenian Empire (Edinburgh University Press, 2008), 18.
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making 431BC the beginning of the Peloponnesian War.9 With the fighting taking place within
Plato’s lifetime, between two great powers, Athens and Sparta, it was never discovered if Plato
actually took part in any military campaigns. George Klosko states in his book about Plato’s
political views that the Peloponnesian War brought the over throw of Athenian democracy. This
gave rise to an oligarchy-established power, which was filled with many of Plato’s close
relatives and associates. At one time, he even considered joining the oligarchy, which never
happened because the oligarchy started to fall into tyranny, this brought terror to Plato and
changing his opinion. Plato was even more distressed with the reinstatement of democracy,
which brought with it the execution of his teacher and great friend Socrates.10 Klosko continues
in his book The Development of Plato’s Political Theory, explaining how Plato formed his
political view by stating:
Plato’s understanding of politics was shaped by the condition in which he lived. The
aftermath of the Peloponnesian War was a period of hardship throughout the Greek
world, and through subsequent years witnessed a commercial upsurge, this exacerbated
conditions within many cities, enriching some inhabitants but increasing the poverty of
others. City after city was beset by civil strife, stasis, pitting rich against poor, oligarchs
against democrats.11
This chaotic state would influence Plato and his Ideals he presented in his writings concerning
justice, virtue and the utopian model of a perfect city. The bitterness that Plato felt after the
reinstatement of democracy around c. 399BC can now be examined within his own writing of
Plato’s Republic.
The Republic was written around c.380BC and was mostly concerned with finding the
true definition of justice. In many of Plato’s writing, he uses many targeting strategies to pick
his audiences minds for certain responses that often lead to his main conclusion. In his work The
Republic, Plato, has one simple question: is it better to be just or unjust? Throughout his five
9
Frank J. Frost, Greek Societies,( Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997). 43.
George Klosko, The Development of Plato’s Political Theory (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006), 1.
11
Klosko, The Development of Plato’s Political Theory, 6-8.
10
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books that compose, The Republic, Plato incorporates “Platonic dialogues” or discussions
between characters on philosophical problems. He writes using the conversations of his former
teacher Socrates, who in his own lifetime picked the minds of many aristocrats that felt they truly
know answers to each of his questions. Socrates moves throughout the books trying to solve
Plato’s central question. In Book One the question is presented, is it better to be just or unjust?
Book Two starts to answer that question, but expands the question away from the individual and
into a bigger context of the just city. Socrates looks at the city to define terms like justice, virtue
and then ties them back to the individual context.12
What drove Plato to determine what justice was? Malcolm Schofield tries to determine
what exactly Plato’s political view was in his book Plato: Political Philosophy. Schofield states
that Plato has a very distinct “anti-democratic ideology.” He states, “Few readers would deny
that its [The Republic] main political argument is profoundly undemocratic…”13 He continues
stating, “The Republic is a book with many morals. It is also a deliberately teasing book, and
opens to an endless range of interpretations. But no serious reader could fail to recognize that it
comes down firmly against democracy.” This should come to no surprise. Athenian aristocrats
raised Plato he was able to be educated by many great political leaders within Athenian
government. Schofield stated that Plato grew up in a period were Athenians valued the idea that
people who had the capacity to exercise rule over their inferiors should be put into public
positions that allowed them to govern.14
Within Plato’s Republic, Plato had many visions and scenarios that showed his
perception of the perfect city. Plato’s perfect city to him is a functioning organism. Not
everyone is equal but everyone in important, not everyone should be concerned with politics.
12
Richard Kraut, “Plato”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Edward N. Zalta, ed. (Fall 2013 Edition)
Malcolm Schofield, Plato: Political Philosophy (Oxford: Oxford Press, 2006), 51.
14
Schofield, Plato: Political Philosophy, 51.
13
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With this inequality comes separation, but in the Republic Plato, put great importance on
specialization in each person’s suitable class. Every citizen fits within three classes, which are
characterized as the Guardians, Auxiliaries, and Craftsmen.15
The separation or classification of people into three categories strengthens the assumption
that within Plato’s utopian city not everyone has an equal statue. Plato prompted his audience to
question who can be in each category. For example, who is fit to rule? The Guardians are these
few. Plato says the Guardians are “The best among them…the most skillful at guarding the
city…prudent...As well as powerful …they care for the city.”16 Theses Guardians protect the
perfect city; they are the military, the aristocrats. Leaders were thought to have many virtues but
what sets them apart from the others would be wisdom. Wisdom, one of the four virtues listed
by Plato, was the bread maker for the Guardian class. Wisdom allowed leaders to carefully plan
and react to the cities needs and problems. Plato states, “It is therefore, from…the supervising
and ruling part that a city founded according to nature would be wise as a whole.”17 He is saying
that Guardians must be wise to look at the cities problems and make solutions for the whole to
benefit, and not just certain individuals. Wisdom plays a huge rule in the city and most
importantly in Plato’s eyes, not everyone had wisdom. In turn, the Demos could not make
proper decisions to promote the well-being of the entire polis.
The Auxiliaries the second class Plato defines are not the military or aristocratic elite.
They are the servants of the “Rulers”. According to Plato, “… the young, whom we were calling
guardians up to now, we shall call auxiliaries and the helpers of the rulers’ conviction.”18 These
young men are the fighting class, the soldiers. The life style of the Guardians and Auxiliaries
15
Alan Bloom, trans., The Republic of Plato, Second Edition (Basic Books, 1991), 412c-d.
Bloom, The Republic of Plato, 412 c-d.
17
Bloom, The Republic of Plato, 429a.
18
Bloom, The Republic of Plato, 414b.
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was seen as the most important. They were able to only have the necessities. The fear that Plato
processed was that the Auxiliaries should not be concerned with private property or personal
gains. The most important virtue of the Auxiliaries seen by Plato was courage. Courage was the
preserving of the law. The Auxiliaries could not fight for their own opinion and beliefs, only
those of the whole city. The majority were told a “Noble Lie” to tie them to their homeland.
These stories were told by the Guardians and often were just persuasion tactics that as stated by
Plato “it’s appropriate for the rules… to lie for the benefit of the city… while all the rest must
not put their hands on anything of the sort.”19
The last class that Plato presents in his perfect city concept was the working class. These
people were deemed the “Craftsmen”. The Craftsmen were in the economic sector of everyday
life. They consisted of the farmers, merchants, traders, servicemen etc. Craftsmen, aren’t suited
for any ruling positions. Plato saw the Craftsmen’s most important virtue as moderation.
Moderation is very beneficial to the city. Moderation is not like courage or wisdom, which is
typically seen in the rulers not the ruled. Plato when talking about moderation says,
“[Moderation] stretches throughout the whole…making the weaker, the stronger, and those in the
middle… sing the same chant together…”20 With moderation needed to restrict the craftsmen
and promote the consideration of others as a whole. This in the city is when the rulers and the
ruled have an understanding and one rational opinion. This allows for little friction between the
classes. Unfortunately, for Plato the craftsmen have greater numbers than the Guardian and even
bigger need. Plato uses the phrase “Stronger than himself” to encourage the craftsmen’s use of
moderation.21
19
Bloom, The Republic of Plato, 389b.
Bloom, The Republic of Plato, 432a.
21
Bloom, The Republic of Plato, 430c.
20
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In analyzing and interpreting Plato’s description of the three classes, it appears to be
visible that a democratic political system was still scary and not widely popular among the
higher elites. Still, the interpretation of Plato’s city is, even today, debated highly; it is often a
common trait in Plato is writing to leave questions unanswered. This allows his audience to
continue to seek a deeper understanding of each subject he presents within his “Socratic
dialogues.” Allowing his audience the opportunity to form and model a combination of many
ideas to strive towards a utopian city.
Plato is looked upon as highly respected in the philosophical world as being the “Father of
Philosophy.” 22 However, with a deeper analysis of his work, The Republic, his creation of a
perfect city was not that extraordinary. Plato lived only in a time of distress and chaos. He was
witness to destruction from military campaign during the Peloponnesian War, political upheaval
within his own Athenian state, switching from oligarchy to tyranny to democracy. These
switches contributed to Plato losing his teacher and friend Socrates, causing great distress within
Plato’s realm of thinking making him forced to form anti-democratic views. Plato’s connections
with his relatives within the aristocratic elites can be a huge determiner of his creation of a threeclass system composed of Guardians, Auxiliaries, and Craftsmen. He was educated with
Athenian values that some are better than others to rule the state. This is why Plato’s utopian
city is un-extraordinary in a philosophical stance.
22
Santas, Plato, 427BC-347BC , 127
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