Plato was an ancient Greek philosopher thought to have been born in 428 B.C, he was the son of Ariston and was brought up in an aristocratic society. Because of his social status and connections he obtained through his family, it was thought he would end up involved in Athenian political life, but this did not happen to such an extent. A friend of his, Socrates had an enormous effect on him and why he did not end up with a prominent role in politics. He explains this in his Seventh Letter, and tells of after the revolution, the government put in charge, being friends and family of his, called on him to join them. He believed they would turn their unjust city just however, this was not the case and in Plato’s words ‘I saw that these men make …show more content…
Along with his objections to democracy, Plato offers his exceptional opinion on the matter of running a city and as he sees it, a solution. He believes ruling should be treated as a skill of sorts, The Cambridge Companion to Plato writes ‘Plato’s key argument is that ruling a state is or should be a skill, based on precise knowledge of certain suprasensible, eternal, and unchanging realities called Forms (ideai), notably those of the social and political virtues, but also those of the rest of reality’. This idea is based on the principle of specialisation that he discussed in the Republic, this principle uses the idea that no human being is born alike and we all have a range of differing skills that nature has offered to us, such as the ability to understand certain types of knowledge, I believe this is what Plato is leaning towards with his thoughts on the ideal ruler. Philosophers are the people who Plato believes to be the most reliable and acceptable people to rule over a city, although, he also mentions and thinks it’s just as adequate for the rulers to be trained in philosophy until they are able to philosophise, and only when they are deemed skilled enough will they be able to rule. Philosophers are typically the only people who acquire this type of knowledge along with being virtuous and therefore are most suited to be rulers in Plato’s opinion, he believes that philosophers are lovers of wisdom and knowledge, which as written earlier in this text are one half of the requirements Plato believes rulers should have. This person must be able to look past the trivia of daily life and be able to think for an entire city and practically be able to control and rule keeping their subjects just and in