IMPERFECT SOCIETIES

Plato now returns to the point at which he broke off to describe the provisions for women and children and the training of the philosopher ruler, and proceeds to describes four imperfect societies. The Timarchy, Oligarchy, Democracy, and Tyranny. Plato also described not only the characteristics of these societies but also the kinds of rulers. TIMARCHY In Timarchy, Sparta is in the mind of Plato. The Spartans were, in effect, a Military Aristocracy living in serf-population, and the characteristics attributed here to Timarchy are those which common opinion at Athens would have attributed to Sparta. Timarchy is a Military Aristocracy, ambitious honour, like Sparta. The ideal city might decay into a Timocracy by dissension among the guardians, if some of them sought private property and wanted to reduce the other classes to slavery, they would neglect education and distrust intelligence. TIMARCHIC CHARACTER The corresponding Timarchic individual is arrogant, dictatorial, harsh to slaves, respectful to those above him, ambitious for promotion, an authoritarian personality. He will be ambitious to hold office himself, regarding the qualifications for it not the ability to speak or anything like that, but military achievements and soldiery qualities, and hell be found of exercise and hunting. OLIGRACHY Oligarchy is a society in which wealth is the criterion of merit and the wealthy is in control. The appearance of drone class of criminals and malcontents. It is a society where it is wealth that counts, and in which political power is in the hands of the rich and the poor have no share with it. According to Plato, Oligarchy originates from Timocracy. The accumulation of wealth in private hands is what destroys Timarchy. The men find ways to become extravagant, and for this reason pervert the laws and disobey it, and the women follow their example. The further they go in the process of accumulating wealth, the moer they value it and the less they value goodness. The corresponding individual is a money maker who represses all his other desires as pointless. His sole objective is to make money. DEMOCRACY Equity of political opportunity and freedom for individual to do as he likes. Democracy originates when the poor win, kill or exile their opponents, and give the rest equal civil rights and opportunities of office, appointment to office being as a rule by lot. According to Plato, Democracy is the most attractive of all societies. It contains every possible type, because of the wide freedom it allows, and anyone engaged In founding a state, as we are doing, should perhaps be made to pay a visit to a democracy and choose what he likes from the variety of models it displays, before he proceeds to make his own foundation. There is no compulsion either to exercise authority if you are capable of it, or to submit to authority if you dont want, you neednt fight if theres war or you can wage a private war in peacetime if

you dont like peace, and if theres any law that debars you from political or judicial office, you will none the less take either if they come your way. CHARACTER Versatile, but lacking in principle. Desires necessary and unnecessary. TYRANNY Democracy degenerates into Tyranny where no one has discipline and society exist in chaos. Democracy is taken over by the longing for freedom. Power must be seized to maintain order. A champion will come along and experience power, which will cause him to become a Tyrant. A Tyrant is one who illegally seizes and controls a governmental power in a polis. The people will start to hate him and eventually try to remove him but it will realize they are not able. Tyranny arises as a rule, from democracy.