[412c]
the rulers
and the ruled?” “Certainly.” “That
the rulers must be the elder and the ruled the younger is
obvious.” “It is.” “And that the
rulers must be their best?” “This too.”
“And do not the best of the farmers prove the best
farmers?” “Yes.” “And in this case,
since we want them to be the best of the guardians, must they not be the
best guardians, the most regardful of the state?”
“Yes.” “They must then to begin with be
intelligent in such matters and capable,
Plato. Plato in Twelve Volumes, Vols. 5 & 6 translated by Paul Shorey. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1969.
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