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Plato's Republic and Sartre's Existentialism

Introduction

Among the most primitive sources of theories of utopian leadership were philosophers in the Asia and the west (Coole, p.114). The extended dialogue of Plato's Republic involves a conversation among Socrates and others on the meaning of justice, in which the philosopher explores an ideal civic and political order (Kallipolis) by an examination of those who comprise it, including its leaders. On the other hand, it is helpful to distinguish between existentialism, as a philosophy of existence that flourished intermittently across Europe during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and the existentialist movement, which rose to intellectual prominence in France after World War II (Coole, p.116). Although the former poses many provocative ethical questions, it remained rather diffuse and apolitical until it was seized on by a group of French intellectuals who identified themselves as members of a distinctive movement led by Jean-Paul Sartre.

Discussion

Plato's Republic

The Republic is the product of a turning point in Athenian political life when the small democratic political and civic structure was increasingly unable to sustain the expanding ambitions of its citizens. For Plato, the ideal state will mirror the human soul; just as the human soul has three parts, the state has three classes, each demonstrating the virtues unique to it: the guardians, the auxiliaries, and the workers (Popper, p. 35). To be effective rulers, the guardians should either be philosophers who become kings or kings who become philosophers. The philosopher in Plato's view sees beyond the transitory and deceptive appearances of the material world into the permanent and true reality of the spiritual ideal forms. Plato compares the philosopher-king to the captain of a ship who pays attention to stars, seasons, winds, and a variety of other conditions to bring cargo, passengers, and crew safely to port.

The commonwealth ...