Maria asked:

I am writing a paper on the concept or relationship between Plato's theory of age and experience.
Plato suggests that no one can become king until they have gone through a series of training. I need
to find out what is the concept between age and experience? Is the concept suggesting that
experience is more important than age or vice versa?

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"Socrates: There can be no doubt that the elder must rule the younger?
Glaucon: Clearly.
Scorates: And that the best of these must rule?
Glaucon: That is also clear."
Plato, The Republic

The rulers of Plato's ideal city are to be chosen when they are over 50 years old, after a long process
of education and progressive selection — at the end of each stage of their education, only the best
students are allowed to progress to the next stage.

Education of the people to produce good citizens and rulers is to start in childhood, when people are
most easily influenced. Plato approves the use of a kind of censorship to ensure that the influences
on children are good. They should be exposed only to beautiful and graceful sights and sounds
(Republic,Book 3). Selected kinds of music and literature would then be taught, along with physical
education. A balanced mixture of these is to be used, to avoid the danger of the student becoming
either too aggressive (from too much physical education), or too soft and weak (from too much music
and literature). The students are to be observed, to see which of them excel in all the things they
have learnt so far, then, when they are 20 years old, the best students are to be selected and given
further education, in which mathematics plays a large part. At 30 years old, a selection is to be made
again, and the selected students taught 'dialectic' (the philosophical method of questioning and
discussion). Plato mentions that students must not be taught dialectic any younger, or they will be
inclined to argue just for fun, rather than discussing things in order to learn.
After a 5 year course in dialectic, students are to be required to do a job for 15 years, to gain
experience of life, and they are to be monitored to see how they cope in difficult situations.

"...and when they have reached fifty years of age, then let those who still survive and have
distinguished themselves in every action of their lives and in every branch of knowledge...(make)
philosophy their chief pursuit, but, when their turn comes, toiling also at politics and ruling for the
public good."

RepublicBook 7

It seems to me that this long experience and education would be more important than age for Plato,
when he selected his rulers. The only reason the rulers are to be over 50 is that it takes a long time to
go through the education Plato prescribes, and gain the required experience of life. Plato would not
allow a 50 year old without the required education and experience to become a ruler.

However, there is something else equally important to Plato that you haven't mentioned — the nature
or character of those chosen to rule. Plato isn't going to waste this special education on just anybody!

Selection of those of good character can be regarded as beginning even before birth, for Plato
suggests that only the best people should be allowed to have children. 'Inferior' babies are to be left
exposed outdoors to die — not an unusual practice in Ancient Greece.

Plato has Socrates and Glaucon agree that the rulers of the ideal city will "require natural aptitude",
and that they will have to try to select such people. (Republic,Book 2) Among the qualities they are
looking for in potential rulers are bravery, ability to learn, and industriousness. To find out whether
people have these qualities, Plato proposes putting them through various tests of character and
seeing how they behave. Can they cope with hard work? Are they easily frightened?

"And he who at every age, as boy and youth and in mature life, has come out of the trial victorious
and pure, shall be appointed a ruler and guardian of the State...But him who fails, we must reject."

RepublicBook 3

For Plato, a person must have a good character in the first place, to make it worth giving them a good
education. (RepublicBook 4).

To work out your own views on this, you might think about the following. Do you think experience, or
age, or perhaps character, is most important in those who govern your city/ state /country? How
about if you were choosing who should be in charge — do you agree with Plato's methods of
selection and education?

Katharine Hunt