When Plato first arrived in Syracuse at the age of forty in 388 BC, Dionysius the Elder, a suspicious and violent ruler, was in power and seeking to strengthen and expand his rule. By visiting Syracuse, a wealthy and powerful ancient Mediterranean city at the time, Plato aimed to encourage its ruler Dionysius the Elder, and later his son Dionysius the Younger, to embrace a philosophical way of life.
Why did Plato actually come to Syracuse?
Plato reveals the reasons for his journey in his autobiographical Seventh Letter, in which he recounts events that had already passed. Among the thirteen surviving letters of Plato, the Seventh Letter is considered an authentic work of his style of writing. Its content is closely related to works such as The Republic, Statesman, and Laws, where Plato presents fundamental ideas about the state, governance, laws, and the concept of philosopher-kings. The value of the Seventh Letter, among other things, lies in Plato’s rare disclosure of personal life experiences and reasons for his actions. He didn’t dedicate himself to state affairs.
When I was young, I experienced the same thing as many others. I wanted to immediately engage in state affairs as soon as I became independent… However, laws and customs were being corrupted, and this was spreading incredibly fast. Although I was initially filled with the desire to engage in public affairs, observing this situation and witnessing the general chaos made me dizzy. Of course, I didn’t stop thinking about how to improve these conditions and the entire state administration, but I waited for the right moment to take action. Finally, I became convinced that all current states have poor governance, as the state of laws is almost irreparable unless some extraordinary intervention aided by luck occurs… With these thoughts and this confidence, I left home, not for other reasons, as some may think, but mainly because I was most ashamed in front of myself to ever consider myself a true practitioner, while never actually being involved in any practical work. I voluntarily accepted no venture of my own will… Plato, through his philosophical lectures and discussions, sought to awaken in tyrants the inherent goodness that every human possesses. Believing in the power of spoken words, he aimed to encourage them to engage in self-reflection, correction, and improvement. In one of his talks on virtues, which he delivered at the court of the tyrant of Syracuse, Plato stated that a just person is happier and wiser than an unjust one. Sensing that this claim applied to him and aware that he did not possess these virtues, Dionysius the Elder asked Plato why he had come to Sicily. After Plato responded that he was in search of a good person, Dionysius the Elder retorted, “By the gods, it seems that you haven’t found one yet.”
So, in that sense, I delivered a lecture to Dionysius about my philosophy. However, I did not elaborate on everything, nor did Dionysius ask for it. He behaved as if he already knew a lot, and the most important things, and that he was informed enough based on what he had heard. As for others… Those who are not true philosophers, but only show opinions as an outer layer of color, like those whose body is tanned from the sun’s rays, when they see how much needs to be learned, how long the effort is, and how only a correct everyday life is suitable for that job, they consider it difficult and impossible for them, so they don’t even acquire the ability to engage in it… Such people need to be presented with what and how the whole job is, through how many difficulties it leads and how much effort it requires. If the person who hears it is truly a true philosopher, worthy of that job and inspired by God, they consider that they have heard of a wonderful path, that they must now exert all their forces, and that it is not worth living if they do otherwise. After that, they already encourage both themselves and the one who instructs them, and they do not give up until they either achieve the goal or acquire the ability to guide themselves without the help of a guide. That’s how such a person lives with those principles, who indeed performs the tasks they engage in, but holds on to philosophy above all else and such a everyday life. He seeks a way of life that will provide him with greater ease in understanding and remembering, and make him capable of being sober in his soul and of judging accurately. Although he has given up on the idea of personally getting involved in the political life of the city, he has not given up on realizing the idea of a just state governed by a philosopher ruler, which is why he came to Syracuse. According to Plato, a philosopher ruler can be a person who, above all, governs themselves and who has acquired enough life experience to be able to govern the polis or state. The philosopher ruler possesses not only learned, but also experiential and practical knowledge of the value of fundamental virtues: moderation, courage, prudence, and justice. Understanding these fundamental virtues gives them confidence in making correct decisions and enables them to act justly; they are free from the desire for personal gain and do not possess material possessions. Their knowledge is not a final value, but requires constant examination of existing values and their own actions. Although Plato’s attempt in Syracuse was unsuccessful, his ideal of a just state has inspired many philosophical schools, and centuries later, it was revived in the ideal of a philosopher ruler through the exceptional Marcus Aurelius.