BECOME A PHILOSOPHER KING. 3 QUALITIES YOU MUST POSSESS TO SERVE YOUR CLIENTS WITH EXCELLENCE.
Plato’s famous work, “The Republic,” explains his ideal society. For Plato, the ruler of this Utopia needed to be a Philosopher King full of wisdom, knowledge, and virtue. Here’s what marks a Philosopher King, and why becoming one can change the entire trajectory of a young professional.
PLATO’S PHILOSOPHER KING.
A Philosopher King, according to Plato, was someone who possessed a rare combination of qualities: wisdom, knowledge, and virtue. Unlike most rulers who rise to power through wealth, power, or connection, the Philosopher King ascends to power after years of education and training, making him the ideal ruler for a utopian society.
Plato writes that,
“there will be no end to the troubles of states…humanity itself, till philosophers become kings in the world… and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands”
Plato believed that traditional rulers were not actually suitable for creating perfect society because they were driven by power and wealth, i.e. they were politicians rather than philosophers by nature. His ideal society was one where every individual could live happily and serve their purpose without anything impeding their growth and personal freedom. Hence, he doubted that political rulers, who were selfish and corrupt, could bring this vision into reality.
Plato’s student Aristotle mentored Alexander the Great, and both philosophers saw first hand how politicians became more enamored with conquest and power than with the liberty of their citizens. For Plato, had Alexander been a philosopher before a king, he would have been primarily motivated by knowledge and wisdom, and guided by virtue. He would have built and lead a society which prized citizens over profits and power, and could have created a Utopia.
Utopia is, by definition, nowhere. Get it? But you can build a professional personhood and practice you are much more proud of if you pursue wisdom and virtue alongside the knowledge of your skillset. Young professionals who also go pro at being human will be uniquely better in their practice and personal lives. At least if Plato knew anything.
Let’s talk a minute about Philosopher Kings and Professionals.
PHILOSOPHER KING PROFESSIONALS.
Whether you are a professional in the medical field, practice law, engineering, mental health, work in the corporate world, or work as a consultant, you share this part of the Philosopher King’s path; that is, LOTS of training to gain mastery and expertise. You work hard for your professional practice, learn a vast body of learning, and jump through many hoops to earn the letters behind your name. It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll.
However, this training is often long on knowledge, which is the Greek category of learning an art or discipline. Just as important, professional training is often short on wisdom, making connections about how daily life is connected and has consequences.
TEST CASE.
Kari, Medical Resident
This is why Kari, a young medical resident in family practice, decides to skip numerous early morning didactics because she is confident in her knowledge of the material. She is a high performer and a brilliant learner and truly has a better command than most residents over the topics being covered. However, she is not equally proficient in the practical wisdom of interpersonal relationships between faculty and students. Kari does not possess the wisdom that her faculty are people, and people feel disrespected when you do not make the same time investment that they have made in your learning.
Virtue is the Greek term for ethical qualities that good people possess. See my article on Holding core virtues over core values. Two common ancient rubrics for virtue are the Stoic Canon, or Four-Virtue Canon, consisting of Wisdom, Courage, Justice, and Moderation, and the Two-Virtue Canon, consisting of piety for the divine and love of people. I am quite familiar with virtue canons, as I wrote my doctoral dissertation on their development. Don’t worry I’ll NEVER tell you about it. Ha!
TEST CASE.
Tony, Attorney at Law
Tony was a shooting-star in his pre-law degree at Michigan. He was so talented he was able to simultaneously get into a top-tier Law School and minor in fraternity parties. Through is training as an attorney, he continued to perform well and truly mastered the necessary knowledge required to perform well at a prestigious firm. However, for all Tony’s hard work to earn his stripes as an attorney, his understanding of virtue and his ethical performance was still stuck in his frat boy days. After several conversations with higher ups at the law firm about worth ethic and borderline moral decisions, Tony’s young career is in jeopardy despite his track record of success. He is on thin ice not because of knowledge, but because he lacks wisdom.
Both Kari and Tony are examples of an extremely common and concerning problem established practitioners are noticing in neophyte members of their profession. There is a growing number of graduating professionals with a clear lack of personal morals, work ethic, emotional health, and relational intelligence.
These disconcerting character traits, in my opinion, fit squarely in philosophy’s ongoing observation that wisdom and virtue are learnable parts of education. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and their learners who followed all took on students not only because of the importance of philosophy, but because they believed virtue could be taught.
*It should be said, that professional colleges are doing their best to develop well-trained and well-rounded professionals. The problem is time. In the three to four years it takes to pass on the knowledge and practice of medicine, law, etc… it is difficult to also include adequate development of wisdom and virtue. Not to mention, people invest to learn a professional practice, not to become a philosopher.
To this I would gently push back that if you’ve ever hired more than two professionals, you know not all professionals are emotionally and relationally intelligent (understatement of the year). If you train or hire young professionals, you know they are not all ethical players. I’ve watched senior faculty deal with cheating, lethargy, corner cutting, blame shifting, and downright immoral decision making in real time for several years, and it has increased with each incoming class.
The harsh reality is that not all professionals gain wisdom and virtue. Only the best ones do. To truly be a Philosopher King, and in my thinking the best possible professional, you need to possess all three: The knowledge of your practice, the wisdom to connect with and guide people, and the virtue not to abandon your ethical qualities for money, power, and sex (three simple categories of vice which I have seen young professionals throw their careers away on many times).
HOW CAN I MAKE PROGRESS?
A quick an easy litmus test for determining whether you might be able to grow in these areas is to think about the last year as a training or practicing professional:
How often did you cut a corner or cheat if you are completely honest with yourself?
How many times did you have a running conflict with a peer learner, colleague, or even a client?
Do you act in alignment with your values when no one is watching, or do you behave differently there is no risk of getting caught?
Have you cheated on an examination?
Can you name clearly the virtues that guide you as a young professional?
Do your public lives and private lives align? Or do you leave the office for places, people, or substances you would not want your colleagues to know about?
Would you say your co-workers wold describe you as kind? This includes people you view as having a role lower than yourself, not just equals and superiors.
Have you ever forged a signature?
Are you in control of your thoughts, speech, and actions. And do you know how to tell?
These are hard questions. But they are necessary questions if you are a young professional and want to grow into a great one. Here are a couple thoughts of encouragement. First of all, almost no one scores a hundred percent on being a Philosopher King. It is an ideal. But it is an ideal worth pursuing.
Second, here is some very good news: it is never too late to learn the basic values of ancient philosophy. You can start on a path towards becoming a Philosopher King whenever you want. You can reinvent yourself whenever you are ready. Even better, you’re going to fall in love with the journey. There is nothing like being as sure of your inner fortitude and moral excellence as you are your professional skill.
Plato came to a similar conclusion, when he said,
“Excellence is not a gift, but a skill that takes practice. We do not act ‘rightly’ because we are ‘excellent,’ on the contrary, we achieve ‘excellence’ by acting rightly.
You can begin to master knowledge, wisdom, and virtue by joining the Philosopher Kings community and discussion. Check out some of the ways below to start to progress in life and virtue.
Remember, our words should be simple and true.
Mark Shaffer
Philosopher Kings
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Here are a couple of ways to grow for free.
Philosopher Kings Facebook Group, a community of high performers going pro at being human!
Listen to the Podcast, where we break down the basic principles of what makes a Philosopher King. In fact, here’s a link to a fun episode with similar content:
And here are some ways to go farther faster in virtue and practice:
Sign up for the Philosopher Kings MEMO, a good-old fashioned 10 page Memo that will be most fun and formative thing you read each month.