PLATO ON THE RISE OF TYRANTS 380 B.C.
By Donald E. Broome
Plato was a Greek philosopher who lived 2378 years ago in the city-state of Athens where in 380 B.C. he wrote a Socratic dialogue entitled “The Republic,” wherein he describe in Books 8 and 9 of this dialogue “City states are as the men are for they grow out of human characteristics: thus like man – like state”
The Republic was written as a collection of conversations with Plato’s student Socrates which provide insights into the human behavior of his time (that are a parallel to our times today) wherein Plato profiles the governments of man as evolving through a number of distinct stages.
The first stage Plato called “The Royal or Aristocracy which we can rightly call just and good, as it’s government by responsible hard-working lovers of Truth and Wisdom, who know how to run farms and businesses, with the result they know how to run governments as well and such ruler’s consider what’s best for their people in everything they say and do.”
The second stage Plato described as being a “Timocracy” which is a government run by lovers of honour and fame” who will tell you they are lovers of honor but it’s they who wish to be honored instead – and among these can be found actors, athletes and military hero’s, as well as the busy-body politicians constantly craving public adulation whose lust for accolades and fame leaves them ever susceptible to being swayed by flattery, and most especially so after they have been ridiculed for doing things right whether it be popular or not – so even though they may have entered politics with the best of intentions, having no experience in the political games of gaining consensus with their colleagues whose intentions are not so inclined, they will eventually yield themselves over to the compromises of acquiescence, after which they will become confederate with their peer’s and begin to vote for themselves favors paid for by the public treasury.
Indeed, such as these will despise riches only so long as they are young, but as they grow older will increasingly be attracted to them due the avaricious nature within them – which is ever the antithesis of maintaining virtue – and although they may not have been be of a bad nature originally, travelling long upon the wrong path will eventually bring them to the point of contemptuousness and a lust for gain in whatever form it may take, as well a never endless passion for self aggrandizement (Which is the mother of arrogance, self centeredness and pride) coupled with an obsessive ambition which of times exceeds their intellectual talents and otherwise – while at the same time being devoid of the requisite compassion for others so essential to ruling well – wherein the love of honor above all else turns to a love of material acquisitions, and when it does, having no desire to expend their own money they will then conspire to spend money out of the public treasury not belonging to them but to the people instead.
This scenario then gives rise to Plato’s third stage of governance called an “Oligarchy” which consists of a clique of insider elitist’s who are lovers of money and gain, and solicit funding to get themselves elected, after which they will dispense money and favors to their family, friends, constituents and financial supporters – who will in turn help keep them in power in order to perpetuate their largess, and as a consequence of these symbiotic relationships the Oligarchical government can be counted on to raise taxes on everyone and everything except themselves.
Oligarchy’s will also invent innovative methods to fund their never ending list of expenditure’s – for what do they or their wives, or their confederates care about the law – indeed their passion for spending the money of others makes them all the more unwilling to spend their own – and it’s this abandonment of justice honor and virtue that characterizes the representatives of all Oligarchy’s from the local level on up the highest levels of government, as Oligarchical leaders place no value on virtue and many are not unfamiliar with the methods of running responsible businesses or else they would never have allowed the gods of avarice and to entice them into the dance of selfishness within themselves along with their various desires, some beggarly, and some knavish constantly breeding evil in their soul’s, for when they possesses the power to willfully defraud other’s with intent aforethought, they will soon prove they are not without the will to do so, and thus, if at all, their passions are only constrained by fear, and not by reason of a virtuous character by any means – and thus when contending with others for public office and various distinctions, being afraid to incur loss their only thought is to avenge any loss with venomous backstabbing, incitefull murmurings, false accusations, and actions that are characteristically devoid of even the remotest semblance of virtue and honor – where as an example we have just such a loser in the person of America’s notorious and recently defeated Presidential candidate – Hillary Rodham Clinton.
This is Part 1 of a 4 part series.
