Question

Explain one of the perfect political systems of Plato, Bacon, Marx, or Skinner. Use evidence (cite sources) to support your response from assigned readings or online lessons, and at least one outside scholarly source.

Answer 1

Plato argues that we are all made up of the same three components, but not all components are aligned in a good equilibrium. The outcome is that in these unbalanced individuals, covetousness, ambition and foolishness rule. Plato lived through the democratic period in the government of Athens and through the period of oligarchy when the conquering Spartans installed the wealthy oligarchists as Athens rulers, a move that unleashed a fierce retribution of bloodshed on the unseated democratic rulers.
Plato dismissed the rule of error prone and seemingly unreasonable democratic faction and denied the retaliatory rich elite's oligarchic rule similarly. Plato wrote the Republic after a seclusion period. In it he describes human nature and uses human nature (as he described it) as a metaphor and template for a reasonable government.

He assigns ruling authority to those who have a functioning alignment and balance between their three constituent parts and a dominant dedication to the highest: (1: lowest) love of money (laboring and merchants classes), (2: middle-most class) love of honor (military), and (3: highest) love of wisdom ("scientists, scholars, high-level experts, and similar sophisticates

His concept is that the two models he saw do not function, so he needs a third. This third model is to create a government out of those with the finest minds by being best trained, informed and balanced. 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.

Plato supported a philosopher king-ruled aristocracy. He did not think it could be maintained by most societies though.
The aristocracy of Plato was founded on merit. The rulers were powerful, highly educated individuals who had the expertise to rule.
Plato also thought that when less superior individuals are admitted to the aristocratic class, aristocracies would become timocracy (rule by estate owners). This would also lead to oligarchy (ruling by a few) in which the rich rule over the poor. That would lead to democracy (many rule), which would inevitably decrease itself to tyranny (one rule) when someone has to take authority.

Plato felt that the best government would be one that was run by those who are naturally more gifted than the rest. I think that Plato would have liked the society in Brave New World to some degree. That is because that society was at least trying to have a situation in which everyone played the role in society for which they were best suited.

Plato envisions a system that was similar to that. He envisions a system in which the people with the greatest abilities rule over the others and the others pretty much accept the fact that they are not cut out for ruling on their own.