You dishonor my insights into human nature. I will admit that I favor an "authoritarian government" (Crombie 161), but only because there are "two levels of moral consciousness." First, there is the "ordinary moral conscience of the plain man of good upbringing, and there is the theoretical insight of the philosopher" (Crombie 284). Certainly, you would not argue that every individual is as brilliant as yourself in coming to an understanding of politics, morality, or the good life.
ME: Well, no. I mean, yes, I would not argue with that.
PLATO: That's all I'm saying. Not every citizen is as capable as you of understanding my notions of the three parts of the soul---appetite, spirit and reason---the corresponding parts of the society---craftsmen, guardians and philosopher-kings---and the necessity of ordering those parts so that reason rules the soul, producing individual morality, and philosophers rule the society, producing order in which individual morality can develop so that that individual can lead th
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