THE STRUCTURE
Introduction: Describe about Plato and his philosophy briefly.
THE BODY
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- Write about Plato’s Republic and character building mentioned in it.
- Mention the relation between character and use of power.
- Mention about politics, business, and bureaucracy etc., in the context of power and misuse of power.
- Give examples of APJ Abdul Kalam, T.N Seshan, Kiran Bedi etc.
Conclusion: End by writing how power with people with good character is in the favour of the society.
Answer. Plato belongs to Greek philosophy and belongs to the school of Virtue Ethics. He gave the four principles of ethics i.e., justice, courage, temperance and wisdom.
He also gave the Theory of Philosopher King which made the consideration for a king to be a philosopher for better governance and rule. Plato’s philosophy in The Republic is also related to character building as virtue is also related to human character or quality; hence he was concerned about the process of building human character. In this context, Plato argued that people with good character can utilize power in the right fashion.
Some important theories of Plato
● Theory of Philosopher king, where Plato wants a philosopher to be a ruler.
● Theory of Education, where Plato describes the way to choose people for different role in society, through a vast and long education system.
● Theory of Soul, where Plato gives the concept of different types of souls on the basis of Reason, Courage and Appetite.
People without good character tend to misuse power; therefore, he brings the concept of Philosopher king. The king with the qualities and knowledge like a philosopher will tend to use the power in capacity building of his kingdom and have good governance throughout his rule and regime.
It is famously said that “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”, the saying is generally quoted in the context of bureaucracy, where people with good character have used the power in a positive manner, whereas people without good character have misused it.
Similarly in the field of money capitalism generally tends to become crony capitalism. In the case of politics, politicians go beyond their rights and privileges to let their power remain with them, using their power inappropriately.
Most of the rulers are known for misuse of powers. From Hitler to Stalin and in recent time, some of the even democratic countries rules are known for misuse of powers. All institutions where power lies including politics, bureaucracy, corporate and media, we can find high incidence of corruption.
In India, governments and bureaucracy face criticism for corruptions. The real estate sector is led by builders, politicians, local officers and governments which make favourable policies.
However, there can also be exception. Leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, APJ Abdul Kamal, T.N Seshan, Kiran Bedi, Narayan Murthy and JRD Tata etc., have used their power and are known for ethical leadership.
There are other philosophers who have given emphasis on character and integrity of those who get power. Kautilya gave emphasis of Dharma for all. Machiavelli in his The Prince gave emphasis of moral character of the King.
Conclusion:
Power and Character have a relationship, where one without another can go against society and morality. In contrast, both of them in coherence can lead to the betterment and capacity building of society. Power should remain in the hands of people with good character, whereas people without good character shall be kept away from the power in the interest of public good.
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