Plato and his ideal state

In its first dialogues, Plato stands for μαιευτική - the art of making the mind give birth by asking consecutive questions. For political analyzes, the dialogues "The State", "The Politician" and "The Laws" are of the greatest interest. Plato's philosophy finds a logical conclusion in politics, as in Aristotle, because in the eyes of the ancient Greeks everything leads to the state. In the "State" dialogue, Plato gives a description of the perfect, stable, best, or ideal state, which must be an exact copy of the divine form or idea of ​​the state.

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The two main principles of Plato 's political philosophy are: 1) political society forms a whole with its dignity and common good; 2) political society must regard its common good as the first objective which in the case of conflict takes precedence over other goals . The political ideal of Plato implies the management of the knowledgeable, the wise, the so-called management of the wise. Plato puts an important policy issue in its own way - who should govern the state? The answer to this question is given in "The State" - "philosophers being kings or kings philosophers," which is the subject of contradictory interpretations in the history of political thought. In the minds of the ancient Greeks of the classical era, there was a means between the concepts of lawlessness and ungodliness, and every polis pursued the social ideal called harmony in law, a good order guided by wisdom. According to Plato , the ideal state can get 2 names: 1) kingdom, 2) aristocracy

Types of state regulation: Timocracy is closest to the ideal state and in many ways is similar to it. It is a state system that is "mixed with evil and good," but the most obvious of it is the pursuit of ambition and glory because of the dominion of a bold ruler. It leads to wars. The conflict between virtue and money destroys thymocracy. The oligarchy is a state regulation that depends on the property valuation of the people and in which the rich manage, and the poor have no involvement in government. It is governance filled with many evils. The main asset of the oligarchy is wealth. The misuse of wealth and the neglect of other goods destroy the oligarchy. Democracy arises, "when the poor defeat, and one of the other party's people kills, others expel, and others give equal rights to power and government. Usually senior state positions are handed out by throwing." The fundamental good of democracy is freedom. The insatiable thirst for freedom and the neglect of other goods alter democracy and prepare the need for tyranny. Tyranny is "the greatest evil of the state." The main and disadvantage lies in the conquest of power and its exercise "against the will of the people". In tyranny, power is an end in itself. Plato examines the changes and changes of the various state structures as "circular" within a certain cycle.