Utopia H3

     Plato's definition of Utopia and my own differ vastly. As described in A History of Western Philosophy, Plato's perfect form of government is different from what most would think. He believes that only the "wise" should be in charge. The wise include people who are disciplined morally, the educational elite, and the leisurely rich. So, basically Plato calls for a mix of an oligarchy and an aristocracy. He believes that this elitist form of government would put the wise in charge and therefor create the most effective government.
      Now, while Plato's utopia would indeed be efficient, it would not work out well in the long run. Governments that don't give everyone a voice and an impact are unmoral. And how can it be wise to be unmoral? Therefor Plato's utopia is unwise. People tend to revolt when they don't have a voice. In fact, the American colonies broke away from England for just that reason. Countries in the world that have oligarchical and aristocratic principles include North Korea and China. These countries are no popular immigration destination for a reason. They are similar to Sparta, Plato's favorite state, in the aspect of "communist" form of government. The idea of everyone being equal sounds good in theory, until babies are killed for being different and the State controls every important aspect of one's life. I think that government should care for all of its people, which communism aims to do; however, communism only cares for all the people that the State deems beneficial, or exploitable. For this reason, I am against communism and rather for democratic socialism in which everyone gets a voice and an impact, and the government makes sure everyone is taken care of. So, my idea of utopia is a government ruled by the people, that cares for all of its people while simultaneously guarantying the freedom and rights of the people.