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Why Plato believed that philosopher kings – not democracy – should run the state

Name: Plato’s philosopher kings
Uploaded: 2016-01-22T11:05:07.000Z
Duration: 2 min
Description: Why Plato believed that philosopher kings – not democracy – should run the state

Think modern democracy is stagnant, stifled by bureaucracy and undone by a fickle populace? Plato saw it coming from some two-and-a-half millennia away. This short animation from BBC Radio 4 explains why Plato had little love for democracy, and believed that it was the true elite – trained philosophers, of course – who should steer the ship of state.

Video by BBC Radio 4

Script: Nigel Warburton

Animation: Andrew Park

22 January 2016

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