Plato was considered as the father of the Idealist School and as he really was. Plato
portrays an Ideal state in his widely
known work REPUBLIC. His concept of the
Ideal State was recognized as Utopian One. He wanted to realize the idea of
good in his Ideal State.
Plato’s Ideal State had certain features that reflect his idealist and
utopian ideas.
SALIENT
FEATURES OF PLATO’S IDEAL STATE ARE:
1. A Ruler Should be a philosopher.
2. Education assumes Important for the creation of the best ruler.
3. The Spirit of Justice is supreme.
4. The complete ban on art and Poetry.
5. Society was divided into three classes.
6. The rulers and soldiers should live under the system of communism
of property.
7. There should be gender equality.
8. The women of the Rulers and Soldiers are held in common.
Detailed Description of Above
Features:
1.
A Ruler should be a philosopher:
this was the
striking feature of Plato’s Ideal State. He imagined that the government should
be headed by a Philosopher-King who represents the perfect knowledge and is
best suited to uplift the interest of his subject. Plato says a philosopher has
all the qualities necessary to run an effective government where political rule
depends on knowledge not on power.
2.
Education assumes importance in
the Ideal State of Plato.
It should be
directly under the control of the Rulers. For the creation of good rulers, a
good education system should be built up.
3.
The Spirit of Justice is
Supreme in the Ideal State.
Justice in
the state means the due performance by each individual of the functions for
which he is best fitted by aptitude and training. In a fair society, the rulers,
the military, the peasant, all behave in a specified way, as ought to behave. In
such a society, the rulers are wise, the soldier are courageous and all the
producers perform self-control or moderation
According to
Socrates,
“Injustice
causes civil war, hatred, and fighting, while justice brings friendship and a
sense of common purpose”.
According to Sabine,
“Justice (for
Plato) is a bond which hold a society together”
4.
There is a complete Ban on art
and poetry:
as they
appeal to baser instincts. Nothing goes to the youth without the approval and supervision
of rulers. He was against poetry because he believed that poetry deals with the
unreal.
5.
Society was divided into three
classes – rulers, soldiers, and peasants
Rulers,
soldiers and peasants all performing their functions most dutifully. There
should be a strict division of labor. This was the fifth most important feature
of Plato’s Ideal State.
There is the
principle of functional specialization that prevails in the ideal state. Every
person performs only those functions for which he is fitted and gets training
to perform his functions efficiently. No class interferes with the sphere of
other classes.
6.
Communism of property:
They should
not own any private property at all.
Plato pleads
for the common renunciation property by the guardian class. The guardians shall
receive fixed salaries from the citizens which should be
sufficient to meet their annual expenses and no more than that.
They shall live together in common barracks like soldiers. They will be served
with common rood in common mess. The result of this according to Plato would be
that there would be no competition for political power among the ruling class
attributable to the desire to use such power for economic welfare.
According to
Plato,
“Private
property corrupts people and leads them to go against the state”
7.
Feminism
Women are
given the same training as is given to men. They are allowed to hold public
offices along with men.
8.
Communism of Family
According to
a system of temporary marriage one fit woman is married to one fit male for one
year. After the birth of a child, the two are separated and joined to a
different person of opposite sex provided he or she is healthy and fulfills the
age qualification.
Women in the
ideal state are fit for procuring children between the age of 20 and 40 and men
between the age of 30 and 55.
The children
so born of temporary unions between the best of men and the best of women are
reared up under state control and educated according to their aptitudes. These
children when they grow up are put into the service of the State.
Criticism or Critical Evaluation of Plato Ideal State
Theoretical
concept of Plato State
Plato’s
concept of the ideal state is only an idea. It is an idea that cannot be
applied. It is only an interesting story. State is to serve human beings and
not to engulf their individual status. His ideal state demands sacrifices only.
It is a hollow scheme of the grand political philosopher of the then glorious
Greece.
Self-contradictory
and Half Communism
The main
principles of his ideal state are mutually different. On one side, he says
about justice and equality while on the other hand, expounds communism that is
to deprive the two classes from the private ownership and natural family life.
Further, the majority professional class is free of communism. It is clearly
against the concept of justice and equality. So, his concepts of communism and
justice are colliding with each other. Temporary marriages and nationalization
of all the means of production are not natural and are against human nature.
Functional
Specialization
Plato’s
classes in the social life on the basis of functions are impracticable. These
classes are the result of education system. Learning capabilities may change
from time to time while likes and dislikes are also not fixed. He reserves the
ruling chairs for the philosophers that mean he prefers intelligence but
ignores characters. It is not must that a philosopher an intelligent person or
highly educated person will be a man of good moral character. He even bans
character-building elements like arts and literature in his ideal state.
Education
System of Plato Ideal State
Plato
presented a detailed scheme of education but his educational plan may be
criticized on the grounds that he gave undue importance to music, logic, games
and philosophy. He ignored the important disciplines like Law, History,
Psychology and physical sciences etc. His steps of education are very tight and
age wise. He fails to understand that learning capabilities vary with the
change in age and environment.
Rule of
Philosophy
Plato is
wrong to say that the ruling power be specified for the philosophers because
philosophy produces the men of thinking only. A. philosopher cannot face the
sudden crises. His concept of rule of the philosophy is against the human
nature, democracy, equality and liberty etc. A ruler is required to study law,
finance, history and economics etc.
Absolute
Monarchy
Plato favored
absolute monarchy. He gives the ruling power to one or few and not to law.
Plato’s absolute monarchy is the monopoly of a particular class to rule the
state and the remaining people are nothing but have been considered to be
ruled. State is for serving people and its rulers must be the representatives
and servants of the ruled.
Nothing about
the Abolition of Slavery
Plato in his
ideal state is silent to reject slavery. He sacrifices humanity and advocates
human services for the state and not in the benefits and interests of the
people. So, he himself is against the human equality and liberty.
No
Constitution
Plato fails
to provide any constitution for his ideal state. There is no systematic
structure of legislature, executive, civil service, local government, human
rights and political parties etc.
