Plato and Socrates are among history's most influential philosophers, and their teachings are revered and studied worldwide. “The Republic” by Plato outlines socrates’ vision of true justice and the ideal society for mankind to live in. Despite being from Athens, the birthplace of democracy, they strongly opposed the democratic system, believing it led to injustice and oppression.
What is Justice?
In his discussions on true justice, Socrates engages with several scholars of his time with different ideas of the definition of justice such as, giving each what is owed to them, giving to each what is appropriate or what is advantageous for the stronger. Socrates refutes them all - he maintains that to give each what is owed to them cannot be justice as returning a borrowed knife to a madman is not just, despite owing it to him; doing good to friends and harm to enemies would create more injustice, and what is advantageous for the stronger leads to injustice and oppression for the majority.
After consideration Socrates asserts that true justice is "putting everything in its right place." He believed that different people had different natures, and true justice meant that people should live according to their nature. For someone whose nature is suited to being a doctor, it would be unjust to work as a farmer, and vice versa.
“...each one man must perform one social service in the state for which his nature is best adapted...And again that to do one's own business and not to be a busybody is justice...” - (Socrates. The Republic, Plato, Book 4, 443)
This is the same definition of Justice that all of the Prophets and Messengers taught and a message shared by Ahmed Al-Hassan,
“Justice means placing something into its right place.” – (The Book of Monotheism, Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan, p.47)
He envisioned an ideal just society composed of three distinct classes; the producing class, the guardian class, and the ruling class led by a philosopher king. The producing class would supply the guardian class with food, clothing, and other necessities, while the guardians would protect the producers and uphold the state. The philosopher-king, possessing the wisdom to understand what is best for everyone, would assign each person to the role best suited to their nature.
In this structure, everyone lives comfortably, with everything they need provided to them, fulfilling the job they are most suited for and passionate about, fostering a harmonious and peaceful existence for all. Each class would focus solely on its duties, protecting the ruling class from corruption by special interests and preventing the producing class from pursuing self-serving political goals. The philosopher king would prioritise the interests of the people over personal gain, ensuring a just and balanced society.
Why is this the Only Way to have Justice?
The Republic outlines different possibilities for governmental systems, including Timocracy, Oligarchy, Democracy, and Tyranny. Socrates states that due to the human tendency toward corruption, these systems will be cyclical and eventually end in Tyranny before the cycle starts again. He believes that the most just system is Aristocracy under a Philosopher King, who are the most just and least susceptible to corruption.
Despite the fact that today it is the most popular and widely accepted political system, in “The Republic” Plato and Socrates strongly oppose the idea of democracy, stating that it would lead to “Mob rule” and Tyranny.
How does democracy lead to so much corruption and oppression when people have the ability to choose their own rulers?
The Quran states,
“If you follow the majority of people on the earth, they will lead you astray from the path of God.”
It is a system rooted in selfishness and democratically elected leaders, while claiming to have the interests of the people in mind, often exploit the system for their own interests leading to inequality and injustice. Electing their own leaders only provides people with an illusion of power and control while in reality they are choosing their own oppression. At the crucifixion of Jesus Christ the people were given the option to vote to save him, but unanimously voted instead to save a criminal named Baraba and condemn Jesus to a painful death, proving that humanity does not have the required skills to choose what is right.
Socrates also argues that Democracy leads to the election of Tyrannical Demagogues who claim to be for the common people and often use tactics of scapegoating against minority groups. These individuals often have charismatic personalities and are powerful public speakers and are able to gain fanatical majority support and their leadership often results in extreme injustice.
The Philosopher King
What distinguishes the philosopher king from others? To understand this, we must consider Plato's theory of forms. Plato suggests that the world we inhabit is a flawed copy of the true world, which he calls the World of Forms. In this realm, everything is non-physical, eternal, perfect, and immutable, in contrast to our physical world, where things are transient, physical, mutable, and imperfect.
To explain the world of forms, Plato presents the allegory of the cave. In this allegory, a group of people are chained inside a cave, facing a wall, unable to see anything else. Shadows are cast on the wall by objects passing in front of a fire behind them. These shadows are the only reality the prisoners know, but they are mere distortions of true reality. The shadows symbolise the limited and deceptive perceptions we gather through our senses. According to Socrates, the philosopher is like a prisoner who has been freed from the cave and has witnessed the true reality outside, beyond the sensory limitations. This outside world, the world of forms, represents the ultimate truth, unlike the illusory material world most people are confined to.
The Philosopher King is the One Appointed by God.
In his Gospel, “The Goal of the Wise,” Aba Al-Sadiq Abdullah Hashem has revealed that Socrates and Plato were both from the 124 thousand prophets of God, and that the Philosopher king they spoke of was a divinely appointed prophet, messenger or vicegerent.
“And We have already sent messengers before you. Among them are those [whose stories] We have related to you, and among them are those [whose stories] We have not related to you.” - (Holy Quran 40:78)
Like all the prophets and messengers they envisioned and worked towards the ideal society where God would rule through his appointed Philosopher King.
The ultimate truth that is known by the Philosopher King is something that can only be known by God, so the only one who has awareness of the ultimate truth must be the one who has knowledge from God, the divinely appointed Imam who has the holy spirit. This king who is appointed by God and inspired by God is incapable of misguiding people, making mistakes or choosing his own needs over the needs of the people, he is the only one capable of guiding the people out of the cave.
Socrates states,
“Until philosophers are kings, or the kings and princes of this world have the spirit and power of philosophy... cities will never have rest from their evils,—nor the human race, as I believe,—and then only will this our State have a possibility of life and behold the light of day.” (The Republic, Book 5, Plato).
The current world operates under a survival of the strongest mentality, largely governed by democracy or tyranny, leading to the widespread oppression we see today. God never intended for humanity to live under tyrants in a world of corruption and oppression. True justice and freedom from oppression can only be achieved through the leadership of a philosopher king, the divinely appointed caliph of God. Following this divinely appointed king is the essence of religion, which has been lost and replaced by rules and rituals in mainstream practices.
“Thus, Monotheism is tied to the Caliphs of Allah with a very tight bond, rather, if we very accurately checked the matter, we would know from what has been presented that Knowing and Monotheism are not possible for the rest of the creation if it weren’t for the first created being, or the First Mind, or Mohammed, who made the creation know Him.” - (The Book of Monotheism, Ahmed Al-Hassan, p. 40)
The purpose of religion and the message of all the prophets and messengers was to unite humanity under the Supremacy of God and to establish justice and equity on earth by having God rule over humanity through the appointment of divine rulers and messengers.
The Prophet Mohammed said,
"Allah will raise a man from my progeny, from my Ahlul Bayt, by whom the earth will be filled with justice thoroughly the same as it has been filled with injustice and oppression."
This Divine Just State will finally be established by Aba Al-Sadiq Abdullah Hashem, who is the prophesied Qaim of the Family of Mohammed and the Divinely appointed Philosopher king today.