From the book “The Great Conversation”, Plato said that “Until Philosophers rule as kings, or those who are now called kings and leading men genuinely and adequately philosophize; that is, until political power and philosophy entirely coincide, while the many natures who at present pursue either one exclusively are forcibly prevented from doing so, cities will have no rest from evils,… nor, I think, will the human race. (R 473c-d)” As I agree with Plato, running the world by one person who is skilled in philosophy and is balanced in what makes up the soul: reason, spirit, and desire. In history, even up to and including contemporary periods, world events are determined by individuals of many different and differing nations. With a single ‘philosopher king’ controlling a world so rich in resources, one could anticipate world hunger would end, all would be vaccinated against harmful viruses, homelessness would end, and all would share in the riches of this world.
What is needed, in this exercise, is one person in control of the world, because the world today is out of control. There are too many “would-be chiefs” and if they were graded, they would all receive an “F”. Nations are going to war with each other over resources, money, power and freedom. In some nations, there are children with outstanding intellect, but they are lucky to see 18 years of age. Then, on the other hand, there are nations with children who are less than intellectually gifted, but live to see their early 70s. There is no balance or equality in this world. The philosopher king’s job would be to ensure there is balance and equality in the world that he oversees. He will allocate the resources of the world in such a way that, if one nation has more of certain resources than another nation, the nation lacking in that resource will buy from the nation which has more of the resource. This would be a reciprocal arrangement. The king will make laws that are just and beneficial for the people, and not for the king’s sole benefit. This individual will not allow for wasteful uses of the earth, and will make wise decisions, with the purest of motives, about the use of natural resources. The king will keep peace among the people, and ultimately unite the world in speaking a universal language. The philosopher king will settle disputes, so there will be no need for wars, because everyone on the planet will have all they need. The king will uphold the truth, and rule with love and peace.
Now, the philosopher king would not have control over all the world, but, like the United States governmental system, the philosopher king would have final say over the decisions of his subordinates. Just like anyone in a leadership position. The king will rule two terms of six years, and a council, consisting of persons acknowledged for their command of their various areas of interest (Trade, Commerce, Law, etc.) will be available to counsel the king as needed, to ensure he performs his duties properly, and to preclude the king’s attempt to gain greater power. There would be, in addition, a committee consisting of one person from every nation in the world, not only to be an additional watchdog over the king, but to also serve as the eyes and ears of the king, because the king cannot be everywhere at once. He will need people to gather information from his followers, and he will need people to deliver his messages to his followers. This committee would be called the King’s Body.
The people of the world will pick the king and his/her committee. Their choices will be determined by the individual’s balance in their desire, their spirit and their wisdom.
The individuals that the people of the world would choose must provide balance in their desires. For instance, if these people are mainly about their own desires, they will be profit-loving, and the world will end up as it was before under one rule, unbalanced. Parts of the world would be poor, and other parts would be rich. These people would be intent on their self-interest, rather than for the people of the world. They must also not be lacking in desire, as desire is what motivates a person. Therefore, the king and the King’s Body, will always be motivated to do something and making profit will not be their motivation. These leaders will end the need for the corporate world, because there will be no need for businesses, which compete against each other for profit; causing prices to go up and down on the same items offered by different companies, which also provides unlivable wages to their employees. The king and the King’s Body will give the world a minimum wage and fair prices on goods.
What animates the life of a person is their spirit. It is what makes a person determined and courageous. Which is another thing that must be balanced, because if this attribute of a person is not balanced, these leaders will settle differences with war, or being cowardly and just giving in to what people want. So, instead they must be determined to settle differences with war, and be courageous enough to tell people no when it is best for the people. Now, leaders like this will eliminate other, would-be leaders of the world, who are hell bent on war no matter the cost. In addition, leaders who solve problems by just giving and giving to solve problems will no longer exist. Nuclear bombs would all be useless in a world under one rule.
The most important thing that this group of people, especially the king, must have is wisdom. Their wisdom is what will govern the king and the King’s Body’s reasoning and spirit. Instead of this part being balanced, it needs to enhance the “better”, more altruistic characteristics of the leaders. Having a lot of wisdom will give our leaders the clarity of purpose and vision they will need to keep the spirit and desire in check. The way groups of people act and behave is based on the way their leaders represent and comport themselves. By having wise leaders, there will be a positive influence to persuade the masses to want to emulate their leaders. When the world puts smart people in positions of command and authority, there will be very few stupid mistakes. Our leaders will help breed and nurture a new generation across the globe, of high intellect people, and as close to perfect as possible.
The philosopher king will be a breath of fresh air to the world. The king will heal and mend years of abuse to the world. It will not be an easy job for the first king. From the book “The Great Conversation”, Plato said, “The philosopher king will be those who love wisdom and are possessed of the ability to pursue it, those who have the ability to know. Because, as we have seen, knowledge is always knowledge of the Forms, philosopher kings will be those who have attained such knowledge, especially knowledge of the Form of Justice and the Form of the Good. For how can one rule wisely unless one knows what is good for the community and what is just?” The philosopher king will create a utopia on Earth.
To give almost all of the power over the world to one person would be a ridiculous act. Instead, each nation should have their own philosopher king; all kings, of each nation, held to the same standards of conduct and judgment. Because if you give power to one person – an unjust and unbalanced person in wisdom, desire and spirit – can trick their way into power and drive the world into destruction. By having more than one philosopher king, this prediction can still come about, but the rest of the kings can fix the problem. War might break out, but war is a need in life. However, war does not have to happen with weapons. Instead, it could be verbal or hand-to-hand combat amongst a group. Just the idea of the world ruled by one person could cause the outbreak of a world war, because one nation will not want to be under the rule of another nation. Additionally, the world is not going to drop their beliefs and convert to what the king says at the drop of a hat, because they are under one rule. This could cause civil war, because you will have some for the king and some against the king. Forced into using the earth’s resources to fight to create a utopia, instead of healing the world’s people, the king will be little more than a return to today’s ‘figureheads’ of government.
This idea of the world ruled by one person could not work, because most of the world is still wanting in sophistication, and the few who are able to grasp the concept of one rule will have a hard time convincing the others. The creators of this idea will have a difficult time trying to persuade the masses to accept the idea. Right now, countries are having problems with the leaders they have and the people of the world would have a hard time trusting one person in charge of the world. One would have a long, hard time convincing people why they should trust this idea would work, and they would not have to worry about corruption, poverty and lies happening when this idea is in effect. Another thing that can be a roadblock in this pursuit of one king are past elections. For example, in America, President George W. Bush was suspected of rigging the elections of both 2000 and 2004. This position of being the king of the world is a highly powerful position, and if people cheated to gain power over one country, what makes one think the group in power would not try to do the same for the world? Many countries’ governments have bad history with their own citizens. I do not think it would turn out well with the people if unjust actions happen while there is a philosopher king in control.
Religion, the great divider of the people of this world will be hard to overcome. Nations’ laws, beliefs, education and communities have been developed by and based upon religion for centuries. People are not going to be willing to give up or merge their religion with another religion. The philosopher king may have a different kind of religion from many other people of the world and this would cause conflict of interest. The king will not treat everyone the same, because of conflict of the different religions. Some people feel their religion is part of their identity and if they have to give up their religion, they will feel as if they gave up part of themselves.
One point that needs to be mention about why this plan would probably not work. The issue of what race would end up being king. Right now, in the world, some countries do not trust Iran and South Korea and if anybody from these two countries is chosen…there would be a huge panic across the globe. Now, I am not saying these are the only two countries with trust issues with other nations, and that is why this is just an example of why this could not happen. Some people do not want to be ruled by an American; some do not want to be ruled by an African; and some do no want to be ruled by an Indian. People of this world are not ready to look past the color of a person’s skin, instead of seeing their true potential.
It’s true the world needs to be under the rule of people and not just one single person with wisdom, desire, and spirit in balance. So, instead let us just leave the system of control the way it is now, but let us get rid of the unbalanced people and put balanced individuals in. By doing this, there could be a possibility of balancing the world, if each nation were run by their philosopher king from a similar background.
Works Cited
Melchert, Norman. The Great Conversation. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2002
