Das Wissen um die Staatskunst im Kontext der politischen Philosophie Platons und ihrer Rezeptionsgeschichte

»The Knowledge of Statecraft in the Context of Plato's Political Philosophy and Its Reception History«

Plato's »royal art« or skillful »statesmanship«, intended for the benefit of citizens, comprises of a triad: knowledge, education and virtue (which equivalents to »goodness« for Plato). According to Plato, for a reciprocal relationship between a state and an individual to occur, metaphysics, ethics and politics must closely intertwine to give rise to an ultimate good or a »truly existing being«. Indeed, a state's »goodness« intrinsically exudes »goodness« to individuals; in turn accounting for just individuals. It follows therefore, that individuals' righteousness derives from that of the state's. Today however, such pertinent assertions are in active conflict with the emergence of layman politicians whose governing may be seen as far from being »royal art«.

Accordingly, the discourse hereinafter seeks to address the question of how this »royal art« and its triad – a theory of governance once considered indivisible from the practice of thereof, have come to be discarded by current public administrations in favour of economic indicators. Could Plato's »royal art« and »statesmanship« be acquired, and if so, how could this craft be taught?