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Plato on Political Stability: Some Lessons for Nigeria

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Plato on Political Stability: Some Lessons for Nigeria Sabaragamuwa University Journal Volume 17 Number 1 February 2019 pp 38-48 ISSN 1391-3166; eISSN 2386-2041 http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/suslj.v17i1.7730 ©2019 Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka Plato on Political Stability: Some Lessons for Nigeria M.O. Olatunji Faculty of Education, Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, Nigeria [email protected] Abstract The Greek world during the time of Plato was characterized by political challenges and pronounced social injustices. There were turmoil and party conflicts. Plato saw Greece of his time as a place that was very difficult to govern properly because of opposition from those who were bent on putting their own interest above that of the state. Plato saw most of the politicians of his time as selfish. There was violence and party struggles and the eventual defeat of Athens by Sparta and other members of the Peloponnesian Confederacy in 404 BC; a defeat which Plato attributed to maladministration by the rulers. In order to change the undesirable trend of event for better, Plato came up with a series of ideas. The scenario that characterized the Greek world in which Plato lived is to a very large extent similar to the happenings in twenty first century Nigeria. This paper therefore examines the theory postulated by Plato as the panacea to the crisis in Greece of his time and draw out areas that are relevant as solutions to the socio-political challenges facing Nigeria in the twenty first century. The paper adopts a blend of Critical Theory, Historiography and Philosophical analysis as its research methodology and concludes among other things with a clarion call to address headlong the obvious leadership challenges that have been the cog in the wheel of the Nigeria's progress for years. Key words: Plato, Stability, Nigeria, Athens, Morality, Greek Introduction opportunity to settle old scores. There was anxi- ety, party bitterness and uncertainty. Morality was No one has ever equaled Plato in the voy- at very low ebb, essential traditional values were ages of intellectual discovery and adventure overlooked, the rule of law was greatly abused, and [Brumbaugh, 1974]. Plato was born in 427 B.C., there were injustices. Plato saw the Athens as a the son of Ariston and Perictione, both of whom place that was extremely difficult to govern prop- were descended from distinguished Athenians of erly and that the defeat that was suffered in the royalty and were well to do. His father died when Peloponnesian war was as a result of mal admin- Plato was a few years old. The Greek custom like istration and mutual distrust among the leaders. what operates in most part of the contemporary When the masses could no longer bear rule of the world allowed his mother Pericitone to re-marry. Thirty, there was an uprising that eventually led Plato's step father, Pyrilampes, was a prominent to the Thirty been driven out of government and Athenian. He had been a close friend and supporter all of them killed. This incident was followed by a of Pericles [Jane, 1994]. Socrates frequented Pyril- very short period of relative sanity in Athens dur- ampes' home for discussion. As a result of this, ing which Plato contemplated the idea of taking Plato over time developed interest in Socrates and very active part in the politics of Athens. How- his philosophical ideas. Plato grew up in a period ever, in 399 B.C., Socrates, whom Plato greatly of political crisis. The Peloponnesian war began be- admired and seen as \the most upright man then fore he was born and lasted until he was 23 years living", was condemned and executed by politicians old. The war involved Athens on the one hand on a charge of impiety and corrupting the youth, and Sparta together with the other members of the Plato became more convinced that Athenian soci- Peloponnesian Confederacy on the other. The war ety was politically too corrupt, ignorant of the na- ended on a bad note for Athens in 404 B.C. With ture of man, and particularly wrong in condemning the fall of Athens, a commission of thirty men was Socrates. For these reasons, he abandoned his in- set up to produce a new constitution. In the in- terest in politics and took to philosophy and the terim, the Thirty governed Athens. They however search for solution to Athenian leadership chal- ruled with iron hands and this degenerated into in- lenge. Some scholars maintain that Plato served ternal conflict as the Thirty used their new found as the \defense attorney" for Socrates during his 38 Sabaragamuwa University Journal 2019, V.17 NO.1 pp 38-48 trial. That he lost the case, coupled with the fact with each other [Sabine, 1973]. Plato was grieved that his beloved mentor had a profound effect on by the situation in Greece as he saw that public him made Plato anxious to preserve the memory of action can only be carried out successfully only Socrates [Hare, 1999]. Following the way Socrates with the availability and support of trustworthy was brutally exterminated, Plato dedicated his life supporters. Such was the society in which Plato to the vindication of Socrates' memory and teach- lived. He was therefore convinced that mankind ings and also the presentation of his own theory on would have no respite from trouble until something how society can be properly governed. He wrote 34 drastic was done to halt and redirect the danger- dialogues, with The Republic in the middle. It is of ous trend of events then. He believed that hope general consensus that the first dialogues written could come about only when real philosophers suc- by Plato were the immortalization of his mentor's ceeded in gaining political powers or until, through thought, and also a distinctive Socratic Philoso- divine intervention, those who rule and have po- phy. Beginning with the Republic and the following litical authority become real philosophers. These later dialogues a Platonic philosophy and philoso- should be persons who love wisdom and truth, who phy of education was outlined. must study and distinguish themselves in their un- According to Korab- Karpowicz (2016), Plato derstanding of the basic nature of true existence. developed such distinct areas of philosophy as epis- To some extent, many of the conditions that Plato st temology, metaphysics, ethics and aesthetics. He lamented about in his days are prevailing in 21 alludes further that the deep influence of Plato century Nigeria. This reality motivated the thought on Western philosophy is asserted in the famous that some of Plato's recommendations may give in- remark of Alfred North Whitehead: \the safest sight on how to solve some of the major challenges characterization of the Western philosophical tra- facing Nigeria today. dition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Methods and Conceptual Clarifi- Plato".Korab-Karpowicz, (2016) also observes that Plato was an ideal political philosopher whose ideas cations had a profound impact on subsequent political the- Political Stability is a major concept in this pa- ories. His greatest impact was Aristotle but he in- per. Attempt is therefore made to examine it and fluenced Western political thought in many ways. come up with the context within which it will be The Academy, the school that Plato founded be- used in the discussion. came the model for other schools of higher learning Political Stability is a relatively permanent and later for European universities. It is the view social arrangement within which both the af- of Plato that the interest of different parts of so- fairs of the state and the conduct of all aspects ciety can be harmonized. Korab-Karpowicz (2016) of social life, spiritual, cultural and economical, argues that the best, rational and righteous, polit- can go on without fear of disruption or threat ical order which Plato proposes leads to a harmo- either from within or from outside aggressors nious unity of society and allows each of its parts [Bamisaiye, 1998]. Political stability therefore be- to flourish, but not at the expense of others. Plato comes both an aspiration and a value in the modern however points out that the theoretical design and state. It is an aspiration without which a state can- practical implementation of the order he proposes not exist. Bamisaiye, (1998) explains further that are impossible without virtue. political stability is a value necessary for the attain- Plato criticized the politicians of his days for be- ment of the good life for the people living within ing ignorant and incompetent. He criticized them her borders. She gives some factors that make for for their violence, selfishness that was manifested in political stability. These are: party struggles with the different factions placing their own interest above the interest of the state. Social Order and Control Plato saw the disparity of economic interests be- Social Order is the absence of chaos while social tween those who had property and those who had control is the prevalence of established agen- none as the main reason factionalism and party cies responsible for the smooth working of the selfishness. Even in the smallest city, Plato saw that machinery of state. Order is a state of affairs there were, in fact, two distinct cities - \a city of brought about by effective control of the appa- the rich and a city of the poor, externally at war ratus of state over social life. Where there is 39 ©2019 Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka Sabaragamuwa University Journal 2019, V.17 NO.1 pp 38-48 lack of or ineffective control, disorder sets in. training that he or she has the capacity for, he did On the contrary, a situation of relative perma- not support the idea of providing the education nent means of social control leads to a perma- that an individual will not be able to cope with nent state of order or predictable functioning nor profit by.
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