Despite having lived 2000 years ago, Greek philosopher Plato is still very well known and influential to this day.  His political ideas are still discussed around the world. And today in our country, we live in the midst  of increased political awareness and of an increasing need for the people to critique and evaluate their politicians. As such, our dear reader would be interested in reading this very famous passage of Plato’s landmark work about bad politicians: the Republic. Together, we will see how this book, or at least this extract, still applies today.       

A summary of what  he said:

In book 6 of the Republic, Plato compares the democratic state to a ship, and the people, who are the source of the government, to the owner of the ship. And while the owner is stronger than all the crew, he can't see or hear very well, and he doesn't know how to navigate a ship either. Seeing the opportunity, each member of the crew (who represent the politicians) competes against each other  to win over the position as owner of the ship.They use  tricks, They lie  about their ability to sail the ship, and even, they bring gifts such as wine. In reality, not one member of the crew knows how to sail the ship. But because of their trickery, the only one who looks to the stars and knows navigation is ignored, and the owner hands the helm of the ship to the unqualified crew.

How it applies today:

Today, we still talk about the Ship of State metaphor  because it continues to hold true. Politicians nowadays continue to be rich, and spend huge amounts of money on election campaigns to convince the poorer people to give them the power - just like the crew in Plato’s story. They say they have experience, and they talk about religion, claiming to be the protectors of a sect and/or supported by God himself. And they try to win the people by building them roads and schools and giving monetary support, especially if the people are poor - but that’s only just before the elections. And with that, they get elected.

However, our ship can never go anywhere because our ship’s captains only know how to lie and trick us, the citizens,  and take advantage of the fact that we might not understand or  know how to sail the ship.

What we can learn:

While his political philosophy is at times considered unrealistic or too ideal and utopian, Plato,      in this simple metaphor, showed us  one negative effect of democracy that is still true today. And we can conclude a very important lesson.      

Today more than ever, when our politicians are rich lords who buy their people with religious speeches and money, it is necessary to make informed decisions and choose truly qualified rulers. As Plato tells us, we must look past lies and material gifts, and choose carefully, for it is time to take our ship out of the storm.