Tyranny is just one puffed-up guy who lusts for power, destroying everything in his path without regard for anyone or anything else. It is the ultimate embodiment of a selfish megalomaniac.
Democracy is just a bunch of old guys who also lust for power, doing everything they can to secure their power, and enacting policies in favor of that, not in favor of what the people actually want. It’s just a thinly disguised high school popularity contest.
The Republic is simply Plato’s ideal society. It’s one guy, at one time, who thought this one crazy idea could work. Who in their right mind would buy into the idea that you have a “function” to fulfil, much less the idea that these “gold-hearted” Guardians know exactly what your function is? The Republic is Plato’s well-intentioned society, but with major realistic drawbacks which contribute to its illegitimacy, and utter impracticality.
Oligarchy is a collection of people who believe that their money entitles them to be completely superior beings. They base everything they do off of wealth and material gain, not caring at all about the people, and lusting completely for just two more coppers to rub together.
Timarchy, on the other hand, is an historically effective and advanced form of government.
Yes, we have slaves.
Yes, Plato argues that we have intellectual limitations, that we exploit the lower class, and that we have private greed.
And yes, we don’t have the close-knit “traditional” family.
But if any society will dare to say that they don’t have any problems, then they are flat-out lying. The issues and problems that we have are real, and they are troublesome. But like the timarchic character that we are, we will confront them head-on, and attempt to fix them.
Because we have a lot of great aspects. We are ambitious, athletic, energetic, and loyal, with a system that has gender equality, fosters courage, promotes discipline, encourages stability, keeps structure as well as order, and is militarily excellent in all capacities. Our military strength is awe-inspiring. Look at the the Zulus, look at the samurais, look at Israel’s military staying-power, look at Sparta.
Timarchy is a society which produces sound individuals and a stable state.
To conclude, I’d like to leave you with a quote from Aristotle,
“We make war that we may live in peace.”
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