Plato’s notion of philosopher king, and nigerian leaders, a comparative analysis
Table Of Contents
<p> </p><p>TITLE … … … … … … … … … i</p><p>CERTIFICATION … … … … … … … … ii</p><p>DEDICATION … … … … … … … … iii</p><p>ACKNOWLEDGMENT … … … … … … … iv</p><p>TABLE OF CONTENTS … … … … … … … vi</p><p>INTRODUCTION … … … … … … … … ix</p><p> </p><p>
Chapter ONE
</p><p>PLATO’S NOTION OF PHILOSOPHER KING</p><p>1.1 Plato’s biography … … … … … … … 1</p><p>1.2 What is a State? … … … … … … … 3</p><p>1.3 Theories of the Origin of the State … … … … … 6</p><p>1.3.1 The Divine Theory … … … … … … … 7</p><p>1.4 The Social Contract Theory … … … … … … 8</p><p>1.4.1 Thomas Hobbes and the social Contract Theory … … 8</p><p>1.4.2 John Locke and the social contract Theory … … 10</p><p>1.4.3 J.J. Rousseau and the social contract Theory … … … 11</p><p>1.4.4 The Force Theory … … … … … … … 13</p><p>1.5 The Natural or organic Theory … … … … … 14</p><p>1.6 The State: The need of having the state … … … … 16</p><p>1.7 The ideal State: The true state, according to Plato … … 17</p><p>1.8 Laws: The Ideal way of ruling the people, according to Plato… 19</p><p>Chapter TWO
</p><p>LEADERSHIP</p><p>2.1 The notion of leadership … … … … … … 21</p><p>2.2 Mahatma Gandhi, an example of a true leader … … … 22</p><p>2.3 Great leaders of history … … … … … … 24</p><p>2.4 Qualities of a good leader … … … … … … 26</p><p>Chapter THREE
</p><p>THE PROBLEM OF LEADERSHIP IN NIGERIA</p><p>3.1 Leadership; Nigeria style … … … … … … 30</p><p>3.2 Executive lawlessness … … … … … … 33</p><p>3.3 Election and political instability … … … … … 37</p><p>3.4 Religious crisis … … … … … … … 39</p><p>3.5 Economic crisis … … … … … … … 44</p><p>Chapter FOUR
</p><p>PLATO’S REPUBLIC, AS A PANACEA TO NIGERIA’S</p><p>LEADERSHIP PROBLEMS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS … 47</p><p>4.1 Education … … … … … … … … 49</p><p>4.2 The philosopher king … … … … … … … 55</p><p>Chapter FIVE
</p><p>5.0 Evaluation and conclusion … … … … … … 60</p><p>BIBLIOGRAPHY … … … … … … … 64</p><p><b> </b></p> <br><p></p>Project Abstract
AbstractPlato's notion of the philosopher king as discussed in his work "The Republic" has been a topic of interest and debate for centuries. According to Plato, a philosopher king is an individual who possesses both a love of wisdom (philosophy) and a desire to serve the common good of the society. The philosopher king is seen as the ideal ruler, one who is not motivated by personal gain or power but by a genuine concern for the well-being of the citizens. In contrast, Nigerian leaders have often been criticized for their lack of adherence to the ideals of a philosopher king. Many Nigerian leaders have been accused of corruption, self-interest, and a disregard for the common good. This has led to a cycle of poor governance, economic instability, and social unrest in the country. This research aims to provide a comparative analysis of Plato's notion of the philosopher king and Nigerian leaders. By examining the characteristics of a philosopher king as outlined by Plato and comparing them to the actions and behaviors of Nigerian leaders, this study seeks to shed light on the reasons behind the failure of leadership in Nigeria. The research will analyze key aspects such as wisdom, selflessness, justice, and the common good, as outlined by Plato in "The Republic," and compare them to the actions and behaviors of Nigerian leaders. Through this comparative analysis, the study aims to identify the gaps between the ideal of a philosopher king and the reality of leadership in Nigeria. Furthermore, the research will explore the implications of these findings for the future of leadership in Nigeria. By highlighting the discrepancies between Plato's notion of the philosopher king and the leadership in Nigeria, this study seeks to provide insights into how Nigerian leaders can learn from the ideals of a philosopher king to improve governance and foster development in the country. Overall, this research contributes to the ongoing discourse on leadership and governance in Nigeria by providing a comparative analysis of Plato's notion of the philosopher king and Nigerian leaders. Through this analysis, the study aims to offer valuable insights and recommendations for improving leadership practices and promoting the common good in Nigeria.
Project Overview
INTRODUCTION
Plato was a writer, a thinker and a teacher. He stands with Socrates and Aristotle as one of the shapers of the whole intellectual tradition of the West. “He came from a family that had long, played a prominent part in Athenian politics, and it would have been natural for him to follow the same course. He declined to do so, however disguised by the violence and corruption of Athenian political life, and sickened especially by the execution in 399Bc of his friend and teacher, Socrates.”[1]
Plato sought a cure for the ills of society, not in politics, but in philosophy. It is because of this political instability in Athenian society that Plato wrote his famous book, “The Republic”, and arrived at his fundamental and lasting conviction that those ills would never cease until philosophers become rulers or rulers become philosophers. He believes in the “ideal State”. To Plato, it seemed natural that competence should be the qualification for authority. The ruler of the State should be one who has the peculiar abilities to fulfill that function. Looking at history, the world can boast of some rulers who had natural competence, rulers who are philosophically inclined and these same rulers gave a good account of themselves when they ruled. Some of these great rulers are Odumegwu Emeka Ojukwu, Nelson Mandela of South Africa, Martin Luther King Junior of America, Mahatma Gandhi of India, kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe of Nigeria, Leopold Sedar Senghor of Senegal, Ken Saro Wiwa etc. These great men of history distinguished themselves as prominent and reliable personalities during the difficult periods by helping to bring under control, moments of hardships and difficulty. During the most difficult moment for the Igbo’s (Biafran War), Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu stood as a giant between the poor and helpless Igbo’s and their armed enemies. He left everything he owed, believing to die for his people. Nelson Mandela of South Africa showed what is takes to be a great leader, by choosing to be on the side of his people, and remain in prison to being on the side of the enemies, and becoming free.
Taking a look at the situation in Nigerian politics, it seems that we (Nigerians), like the Athenians, are faced with the same leadership problems. Our today leaders have proved to be incapable and philosophically uncritical. This has seriously affected us negatively both socially, politically an economically. With Plato’s Republic, all hope is not lost on our political leaders. Since Plato’s Republic was written in order to arrest the political quagmire in Athens, we hope that Nigerian leaders will become philosophers. “Plato’s idea of rulers becoming philosophers or philosophers becoming rulers is a positive idea.”[2] It has helped towards the development and liberation of many countries like Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Tanzania, India, etc. He had through his Republic, saved many societies, countries, from difficult moments or early extinction. It is highly commendable. Plato, through the Academy, which he founded, trained young men who are to be philosophically sound, so as to be qualified to become future philosopher kings.
[1] Plato, The Republic, trans.by Desmond Lee, Great Britain, Haze Watson pub. Ltd.1980, p. 1
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