Introduction
Plato is one of the most prominent philosophers in the history of humanity. His works came in the time when the political history was shaping up. Some of the contributions to the ideas of authority are the philosophy of Plato. When talking about this philosopher, what comes to mind is the work on Republic , where he sets the record straight on the analogy between the justice in the society and the individual soul. He also talks about the happiness that a person can derive from a just government. But how just is this government or authority? How well can it resonate with the individual’s demand for justice and proper life in the society? To answer these questions, Karl Popper provides a critique of the Republic in an unusual manner. Although he was a philosopher on physical sciences, Popper’s ideas on political thoughts have acquired attention especially after his book “The Open Society and Its Enemies.” His work has had a great impact on politics as has his philosophy of science. This paper will evaluate the contention that Popper had in Plato’s Republic . It will also provide the comparison for the major political spectrum that has influenced the world governance at large.
“The Open Society and Its Enemies” is a book published in the twentieth century and in it, there is the call for an ‘open society,' and defense for democracy (Popper, 2012). Among the informed overall population, Popper is best known for his scrutinize of totalitarianism and his safeguard of flexibility, independence, majority rules system and an "open society." His political thought dwells unequivocally inside the camp of Enlightenment logic and humanism. He was an adamant opponent of totalitarianism, patriotism, one party rule, sentimentalism, cooperation, and different sorts of conservative and unreasonable thoughts (Popper, 1963).
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To begin with, Popper deduced that the vision of Plato was a utopian one and it was inspired by the ancient Greek society like Sparta, the enemies of Athens in the Peloponnesian War. Sparta, according to Popper, was an example of a closed society which focused on two primary objectives, military prowess, and internal stability. In the Republic , Plato portrays the effect of class rule and class privilege. These two are the major enemies of democracy in any society, at least according to Popper. On what he reports, Plato used the word “just” to insinuate the idea that “is in the best interest of the state.” (Popper, 2012) The philosopher quotes Plato as saying “the state is just if the ruler rules, if the worker works, and if the slave slaves.” This Plato’s free society where there is justice. It does not seem to turn well for the greater good of the people who live in such system, especially the ones who are less privileged. It is very clear that Plato’s words made Popper term him as the architect of a totalitarian society. The Greek philosopher, having lived in the era when Greece was torn between wars, plans an assault on the Open Society by waging defending lies, glorifying power, and undermining the free inquiry (Popper, 2012). The ideologies have corrupted the youth of various generations thus making the powerful to continue being powerful at the expense of the larger population. Popper portrays Plato as the enemy of progress and democracy by telling the masses that “change is evil and that rest is divine.”
As a result of the statements, it can be deduced that at some point, there can be an advantage to resisting change and embracing rest. A society that encourages the population to change can be disastrous especially when the change process does not work according to the plans. Plato scores are higher in maintaining the entropy of the cultures in a country (Adam, 2010). The state can continue growing in its pace without changing the way things are done. In a nutshell, when looking at the changes that have come to pass since the medieval times, it is not uncommon to find the process destroying the strength of some states who were turning towards the cultures of the pace setters. As an example, it is evident that the Westernization as a change process has led to disastrous results in most countries than any other civilization. This is the change that Plato was talking about. While everybody rushes for the civilization, more problems come up especially to the states that cannot afford to keep up with the pace. Thus, at its best, the Republic can be a recipe for a real country (Adam, 2010).
In some sense, the solution that the author provides becomes difficult to achieve without some aspects and traces of totalitarianism. A country with inclusive democracy can be faced with the challenges of moving forward as a nation. The views of everyone is supposed to be taken into consideration. As such, there is little effect on the final decision that can spark the country forward in the time of need for quick actions and decisions. So, there is a need for some aspects of authoritarianism regarding smart decisions. Thus the Republic becomes a good example. About nature, the society is hierarchical thus every component should carry out their own roles to make the whole system function in harmony. Everything is classified according to the levels. In such a system, every individual serves their purpose. This is what Plato refers to as justice. When the roles are carried out in a harmonious way, the state that such ideologies at their bests can lead to a peaceful country where every person respect their roles and do them accordingly.
However, most of the exposed ideas are a recipe for worst nations, resembling the Hitler-led Nazis of Germany or Stalinist Russia. Popper seems to talk and demonize the aspect of historicism, which is evident in Platonic philosophy. Like scientific laws, the author feels like there are also history judges, whose values are predictive, and we can figure out to make plans ahead. He claims that history has not worked, and will never work as it leads the masses to the “blind alley.” Popper holds that the style of governance which Plato portrays is a foolish and outrageous one that can give rise to a country being in the hands of absolute rule. In the first chapter, ‘The Spell of Plato,' the author uses all the means possible to break the ideas by saying the Platonic law is racial (Popper, 2012).
He defends infanticide by saying that the race of the rulers has to be kept pure. In the same Plato’s statement, the evil thought of Plato can be seen. As Popper writes, Plato’s influence was the bedrock of “medieval authoritarianism.” According to this analysis, it is clear that the Greeks were the authors of Western civilization by making steps from tribalism to humanitarianism. With Athens at the center of trade of democracy and goods, and Greek science was breaking the backbone of ancient tribalism, superstitions and mistrust, Plato was feeling nostalgic and longing for the unity that existed in the tribal life. Mainly, he hated the society in which he was living in and prompted him to support the previous regimen. This point brings out entirely the effect of tribalism or racism. Similar to Hitler and Stalin, Plato is supposedly empowering the fascist ideologies. He believes in the value of superiority of a class above others. There is the aspect of the creation of a thick line between the dominant faction of the society and the rest. Plato believes in the superiority of Philosopher Kings. In some ways, Plato demonizes the lower class of the society while holding high the guardians.
He says that when the Philosopher Kings died, they went to heaven to live with the Gods while the rest of the people were reincarnated as animals. Popper explains that in the Republic , the wisest and the best, the original member of the class should rule the city. The other members of the state thus become subject to the decisions the Kings make (Popper, 2012) Popper refutes the idea that power is passed on to the next ruler naturally, or even that political power is supposed to be sovereign. The author cites history by saying that it is not common to find rulers above average either intellectually or morally. We have to prepare for the worst while we attempt to find the best. In states where there is only a particular class that can rule, the others suffer a great deal in obtaining the rights they deserve. Thus in the Platonic City, power is vested to the particular class, who ascend to be Philosopher Kings, barring anyone who is not in that line from ascending to power, regardless of their quality. The authority of such states rests in the hands of very few individuals who can proclaim anything, and it has to be done their way, which is a show of lack of democracy. This leads to the rule of tyranny and dictatorship. To Popper, the feeling that the political power is unchecked makes it an authoritarian, thus unacceptable. In Open City, the men should be free to make rational decisions based on their will power (Popper, 2012). Every person should be able to make personal decisions.
Central to Popper’s arguments is the fact that Plato was the evil of society. The author judges the Platonic ideas harshly with little remorse. He goes ahead by explaining how evil it is to put the interest of the state in front before those of the individuals which the political powers affect. The Platonic standards are based on the right for what furthers the state, and the bad for what threatens it. This point of thought leads to the authorities to guard the interests of the state with everything they have. Even if it means uprooting all those who are against the rule. Here, Plato makes it clear that anything that does not work for the nation is immoral. The same line of thought is what the fascists used to further their rule. They employed every machinery and workforce to strengthen the sovereignty of the state in their favor. This makes it easier to prosecute those who are against the interest. In the Republic , Plato reveals a breeding practice that is way similar to the Nazis and the Spartans in which the weak and the vulnerable would be outcasts. He says, “the best of either sex should be united with the best as often [as possible], and the inferior with the inferior as seldom as possible; and they should rear the offspring of the one sort of union, but not of the other, if the flock is to be maintained in first-rate condition. Now, these goings-on must be a secret which only the rulers know, or there will be a further danger of our herd, as they may be termed, breaking out into rebellion.” (Adam, 2010)
In conclusion, Popper’s contention on the Platonic ideal governance is a clear indication of a worse state as compared to the original intention that Plato had. Despite his opposition to an offensive war, the plans he had for a just state does not resonate well with the one Karl Popper looks forward to having. The manner in which the author handles Plato’s work makes it difficult to see any good that it can bring. But according to him, his arguments are justifiable. And in the end, the ideologies of Plato can lead to a country like the Nazis Germany if not properly meted.
References
Popper, K. S. (2012). The open society and its enemies . Routledge.
Popper, K. Ed. Thomas L. (1963). Plato as Enemy of the Open Society. Plato: Totalitarian or Democrat , 41-102.
Adam, J. (2010). The Republic of Plato: Volume 2, Books Vi–X and Indexes.
