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Analysis Of Plato 's ' The Democratic Man '

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Brandon Wilson
Professor Evans
Intro to Philosophy
4 March 2015
Plato’s Democratic Man Plato describes the degeneration to democracy in Book VIII of The Republic as the relationship between man and the city. There are five stages starting with the first being and aristocracy led by a philosopher king who is wise and makes the decision for all and his soul is considered to be that of gold. Aristocracy stage leads to timocracy which would is the new generation of leaders and their souls are not considered to be made of gold as the philosopher king would be in the previous stage leading to a stronger lust for wealth. Timocracy then goes to oligarchy which leads to wealth and poverty, while the wealthy write laws to help them continue to be wealthy. Oligarchy then degrades to the democracy stage where wealth and freedom, a lavish of riches so to speak is desired in this stage. Democracy degenerates into tyranny where the people give into their desires and is considered to be chaos.
Plato thinks that the philosopher king aristocracy would be the best type of government, one needs to ask would this type of government control man’s appetite for wealth and luxuries? The kings would not themselves accrue wealth according to the republic, so where would it go, to the army, or to public education, or maybe back to the people to build better means to take care of themselves? These ideas he has are irrelevant because all the stages intertwine together in some form. They do not stray

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