When one of the greatest Greek thinkers, Plato, proposed in The Republic that a state should be led by a “Philosopher King” endowed with ethical, rhetorical, and charismatic qualities, many regarded the idea as overly idealistic and utopian.
More than fifteen centuries later, the renowned Muslim philosopher, Abu Nasr al-Fārābī articulated a remarkably similar vision: the necessity of a praiseworthy leader grounded in virtue and knowledge to govern the Virtuous City (al-Madīnah al-Fāḍilah).
A common objection to this view is that it is exceedingly difficult—if not impossible—for a state to be governed by a thinker, scholar, or theoretical leader. Such a model is often dismissed as impractical and contrary to human nature, which is assumed to be inherently homo politicus: selfish, hedonistic, and driven by self-interest. From this perspective, society requires a strong and pragmatic leader whose primary capital is force and power.
In this regard, some prefer the political realism of Niccolò Machiavelli, the sixteenth-century thinker famously associated with the maxim “the end justifies the means.” For Machiavelli, politics is not a theoretical exercise but a practical one, and effective statecraft demands tools that philosophical ideals alone cannot provide.
Machiavelli’s successor, Thomas Hobbes, following the same train of thought, argued in his seminal work, Leviathan that human beings are not naturally good but inherently selfish and hedonistic, willing to do whatever is necessary to improve their own position. Hence, absolute and centralized authority is necessary to prevent chaos and violence.
However pragmatic our view of leadership may be, one fundamental fact remains: leadership ultimately deals with human beings—creations endowed with spiritual and intellectual faculties capable of understanding knowledge, meaning, and virtue.
For this reason, the negative conception of human nature warrants critical and contextual examination. Such perspective rather reflects a narrow, secular worldview that overlooks a more profound dimension of humanity—one acknowledged by many authoritative sages throughout history.
Among these are thinkers such as Plato and al-Fārābī themselves, whose views were later developed by figures like Ibn Sīnā and al-Ghazālī. On the nature of the human being, they consistently affirmed that humanity is not merely bestial, but a more perfected creation endowed with higher moral and intellectual faculties.
According to these philosophers, human psychology comprises three primary faculties: the vegetative, the animal, and the rational. It is the vegetative and animal faculties that are associated with desire and anger, which, if left unchecked, lead to selfishness and hedonism and therefore require discipline and control.
The governing faculty, however, is the rational faculty, which possesses the virtue of wisdom. This faculty connects human beings to higher realities, including the Divine. Through wisdom, desire will be restrained and anger subdued. the former will lead to the virtue of temperance while the latter will result the virtue of courage.
These moderate qualities – wisdom, temperance and courage – constitute the Cardinal Virtues identified by these sages as essential not only for leaders, but for all citizens of a virtuous society, and foundational to the development of civilization. They are, ultimately, the necessary preconditions for the establishment of justice.
Such virtues must be cultivated through proper education—one that does not focus solely on the physical or technical aspects of human development, but also nurtures moral and intellectual excellence. Through this holistic education, a new generation will emerge, and with it, a new breed of leaders whose character is praiseworthy by nature.
Hence, politics must return to its higher vocation: leadership grounded in faḍīlah—virtue and noble values upheld not only by sound reason, but also by sacred revelation.
For that reason, the insights of Plato and al-Fārābī remain profoundly relevant. Although it may be difficult to have a philosopher as a leader, yet through the inculcation of the cardinal virtues, leaders can be brought nearer to the philosophical and ethical dimensions in politics.
A true leader must be capable of integrating philosophy with politics, leadership theory with the practical exercise of power, and knowledge with action. Such a leader requires rigorous intellectual formation as well as practical training in governance. This is the Philosopher King envisioned by Plato.
Correspondingly, citizens and participants in political life must also undergo a paradigm shift—from a framework of realpolitik to one rooted in knowledge and reason. Leadership decisions must be evaluated on the basis of evidence and rational argument. Justice must serve as the foundation, and when truth is established, it must be accepted openly—even when it does not serve our own interests or group affiliations.
This path may appear demanding, but it is the most viable way forward if we aspire to guide society toward a more dignified, just, and advanced future.
