Plato's Epistemology and the Ideal State

Plato's Theory of Knowledge

Plato distinguishes two levels or degrees of knowledge:

• The Scientific Knowledge (Episteme)

  This is the highest level of knowledge, concerning the intelligible region. It is true, objective, and non-relative. To be achieved, we must turn our soul toward the sphere of the immaterial and abstract—i.e., toward the contemplation of the Eternal Ideas.

• The Opinion (Doxa)

  This is the lower degree of knowledge, concerning sensible and material reality. It is dark, confused, unreliable, relative, and changing. Only opinions can be obtained at this level, although through opinion, we are at least somewhat closer to the intelligible realities.

Plato's Objections to Athenian Democracy

Plato's objections against the democracy of his time include:

• He rejects the fundamental principle of Athenian democracy. Plato argues that nobody is responsible in political matters; instead, one is required to possess or learn the art of justice.
• He saw leaders as demagogues, ambitious for honors and power, trained by the Sophists to reach power through deception.
• The profound disappointment caused by the trial and execution of the most just of men, his teacher Socrates.

The Philosopher Ruler Theory

Plato proposes a government of philosophers. The theory of the governing philosopher states that the ills of mankind would only find remedy when the government is in the hands of people who have attained wisdom and knowledge, coupled with virtue.

Thanks to this, the ruling philosopher can acquire the necessary criteria to distinguish right from wrong, and good from bad, and will be able to govern in the light of the Eternal Ideas, whose vision has been achieved through philosophy.

Implementing Plato's Meritocracy

Plato's proposal is a meritocracy. Putting it into practice requires two things:

1. Selecting the best natures.
2. Leading them through appropriate education to the contemplation of the Eternal Ideas.

Political Education and the Order of Knowledge

Only philosophy can provide the knowledge of the Eternal Ideas, which is essential for the polis (city-state) to govern wisely and discern rightly what is just and what is not.

The education of the rulers will be achieved by directing their attention first to the intelligible soul, to be brought to the contemplation of the Eternal Ideas, and finally to the knowledge of the Good itself.

Stages of Philosophical Education

The last stage is the dialectic (knowledge about the Ideas). But before the dialectic, students must gradually familiarize themselves with abstract reasoning and the sphere of invisible and eternal intelligible realities. This process must involve the study of mathematics.

Once the knowledge of truth and goodness has been reached, the philosopher must return to the visible world of human affairs to govern.