REFLECTIONS OF PLATO ON LAW AND GOVERNANCE

The Republic

Plato: Overview

 A member of the Greek Triumvirate: Socrates. Plato. Aristotle.

 Founder of the an educational organization called ‘The Academy’: The grounds of the Academy, like those of
the Lyceum and the Cynosarges, the two other large gymnasia outside the Athens city walls, became a place for
intellectual discussion as well as for exercise and religious activities.

 He was perhaps the earliest liberalist in education. He encouraged doctrinal diversity and multiple perspectives
within his Academy.

 Trivia: The main character in Plato’s Dialogues is his teacher, Socrates. After Socrates was sentenced to die by
means of poison, Plato’s influence massively grew in Greece. Socrates was guilty of two crimes: Impiety and
Corrupting the Youth.

The Basics: Platonic System of Thought

 His earliest contemplation on metaphysics is the idea of Dual Reality.

 The Duality of Reality: There is a World of Forms or Ideas and World of Matter

 Reason exists in the World of Forms or Ideas

 Law, as the apportionment of reason, belongs to the World of Forms.

THE LAW:

◈ What is the goal of law? The law seeks to be the discovery of reality, or more precisely, it is the TRUE REALITY
with respect to the administration of a state. On this, he contemplates that the moral value of the law increases
as it approximates the IDEAL LAW which exists in the World of Forms.

◈ He Noted: “Whoever who fails to reach reality, fails to find law.”

Note: True Reality is different from Real by Perception

◈ How do we make laws? When a judgment (reasoning) of society takes the form of public decision of the state, it
has the name of law.

However, this law must be reasoned-out from the world of forms or ideas. Thus, the law is discovered (from ultimate
reality) not invented.

◈ How do we know if a law is ideal? If we got it from the WORLD OF REALITY or the WORLD OF FORMS then a law
is ideal.

THE LAW: The Fine Line Between Man and Beast

◈ The law is indispensable; without it we were indistinguishable from animals.

◈ The noblest work of the law is to make man hate injustice and love justice.

◈ The Law serves the communal interest

◈ However, the law is only the second best.

⬩ If there is man who is providentially endowed with the ability to apprehend true power and position,
then he would need no laws to govern him. He is ergo the best.

⬩ The law comes in when such a man does not exist in the current State. Hence, merely the second best.

THE FUNCTIONS OF LAW

 The goal is to produce men who were “completely good” as believed in the ability of the law to modify humans
through benevolent dictatorship of a “Philosopher King”. This is consistent with the MALLEABILITY OF HUMAN
NATURE.

 He contemplated that in order for a law to produce the good – it must necessarily be married with morality.

 Morality and the Law are both from the World of Forms, thus compatible.

 With this he said: “A bad law is not a law.”

PHILOSOPHER KING: DEFINED

 Since governance is an art or science, only the best and the brightest may lead – the Philosopher King.
  States must be ruled by the highest available intelligence.

 A Philosopher King is a combination of intellectual and moral perfection

 It is better for the UNWISE, whether they consent or not, to be ruled by the wise.

Trivia: Philosophers were once diagnosed by an author as “intellectual elitists”, perhaps Plato was instrumental to this
‘disease’ among Philosophers.

WHO SHOULD GOVERN?

⬩ The wise should govern according to their wisdom.

⬩ The wisest of all must be a Philosopher King.

WAS PLATO HOSTILE TO LAW?

⬩ I qualify. Yes in a sense that Plato disregards Court Room trials (after what happened to Socrates) and
prefer the benevolent dictatorship of a Philosopher King. No, as he argued that the LAW is personified
in the Philosopher King as the all-wise ruler.

THE STATE FOR PLATO

 The State, is a man, on large scale. State as communal. It is the most perfect organism. Both the State and man
must have VIRTUE.

 VIRTUE is JUSTICE

 JUSTICE requires each one to do his part in relation to the common purpose. Thus this hierarchy:

 Top: Wise, Philosophers

 Middle: Warriors

 Bottom: Artisans and Farmers

 The power of the State is limitless. The state dominates in an absolute fashion.

 The power of the State does not respect the will of individuals. The will of the individual is completely sacrificed
to the social and the political.

 In a State, there is absolute community living.

 The function of a State is CURATIVE.

 Hence, PENAL LAWS are meant to cure SICK members of society.

 Those who commit crimes or delinquents are intellectually lacking.

 PENALTY is actually a medicine.

 Those are incorrigible delinquents, whose lack of intellect cannot be cured, must be eliminated or suppressed
for the common welfare.

COMMENTS OF CAIRNS

 Plato’s point is simple according to Cairns. That the law is a product of nature, since law was a product of reason
which identifies with Nature itself.

 Plato is influential in both Roman and Hellenistic legal fora.

Group Members
Bellingan, Algrace
Estorco, Maricel
Famor, Apple Ann
Lachica, CJ Rose
Lumangyao, Shena
Manuel, Reynaldo
Miller, Abigail
Montecillo, Zyd
Onia, Arjay
Padayao, Earl Guen
Pajantoy, Miller
Paquibot, Mark Nicko
Perez, Jezrel
Woodside, Marianne
Cañeda, Shanielle
Tilos, Jan Jefferson