Question

According to Plato, who should rule in the ideal society and how does the journey in the allegory of the cave show how this person is qualified to rule?

Answer 1

In Plato's book, The Republic, he believes that kings who are also philosophers i.e. Philospher Kings, should rule in the ideal society. He believes that only the philosphers have a higher level of knowledge and understanding that no common man can sustain. He believes that only they can view the world as the reality that it is, rather than the reality that is percieved by the common man.
   He explains the above through an allegory of prisoners who are chained inside a cave. They face a blank wall and can only comprehend the shadows cast by objects moving in front of the fire placed behind them. For the prisoners, the shadows are their reality. They name the shadows according to what they seem fit. They cannot break from these chains because they do not even know that another realm of reality exists. Similarly, Plato believes that only the philosophers would be able to see the true nature and only they should be able to rule in the ideal society.