26. PHILOSOPHY AND GOVERNANCE
True philosophers have a reputation for being eccentric; they are also recluses, not wishing to mix with people. Not that they dislike people, but they live in the world of their thoughts, in their mind, in their Self.
Alexander and Diogenes
The story of Diogenes and Alexander is well known. Alexander visited the philosopher at his place, and asked him what he desired , so that he (Alexander ) would fulfill it. According to Plutarch, Diogenes simply said: "Yes, stand a little out of my sun." (Don't obstruct the sunlight falling on me.) Alexander was so stunned by the simple grandeur of the philosopher that he is reported to have said: "If I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes! "
Diogenes' reply is supposed to indicate his cynicism, but we need not take it so. The man was so happy or contented as he was, he did not need anything else. Dr.Samuel Johnson commented on this incident, relating it to the way how other people waste our time. " But if the opportunities of beneficence be denied by fortune, innocence should at least be vigilantly preserved. Time ought above all other kinds of property to be free from invasion ."
I think there is another lesson in it. Alexander could have taken it as an insult by a good for nothing man and dealt with it accordingly! But Alexander was Alexander and knew his limitations against the power of true philosophy, and he respected it. The point is, philosophy and philosophers can flourish only when the rulers respect them even if they do not understand and follow!
Arts and Patronage
Literature, arts and finer aspects of human endeavour used to flourish under the patronage of royals and nobles. There should at least be no hindrance from these quarters. But for the arts to attain excellence, there should be stable governance and peaceful society, which facilitate appreciation. We learn how the arts and literature flourished under the Guptas and Krishna Deva Raya.
Not only literature and the arts, even domestic life cannot be happy without proper governance. The Mahabharata says that a king ought to remove fear from the minds of the people. We have a remarkable incident from the Sangam Tamil literature Purananooru. There an old poet is found without apparently a care or worry, with no grey hair! People ask him for the secret. And he says:
யாண்டு பலவாக நரையில ஆகுதல்
யாங்கு ஆகியர் ? என வினவுதிராயின்
மாண்டவென் மனைவியொடு மக்களும் நிரம்பினர்;
யான் கண்டனையர் என் இளையரும்; வேந்தனும்
அல்லவை செய்யான், காக்கும் ; அதன் தலை,
ஆன்றவிந்து அடங்கிய கொள்கைச்
சான்றோர் பலர் யான் வாழும் ஊரே.
If you ask me how I am without grey hair in spite of my years, listen. My wife is of a noble disposition, my children are well behaved. My servants obey me. The king refrains from unjust acts and protects Dharma. Above all, in my place live many noble people who lead a disciplined life, controlling the mind, restraining the senses and quietly pursuing the higher goals of life.
This shows how the good life, philosophy and good governance are intimately connected.
Alexander Diogenes?
Philosopher-Kings!
"If I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes "- this is a remarkable statement. But it still falls short of the ideal! What if he had been Alexander Diogenes? Some people do say he had the steak of the philosopher in him.
That was the ideal held up by Plato. The ideal ruler must be a philosopher in the sense of lover of wisdom.He said:
, "philosophers [must] become kings…or those now called kings [must]…genuinely and adequately philosophize" (The Republic, 5.473d).
And wisdom for Plato is not just learning but the experiential knowledge of Truth behind the phenomena of the world- what he called archetypal entities behind the forms we see in the world. Such a king would lead a simple life.
Philosopher-kings in real life?
Was it a mere wish? It is said that Archytas, a Pythagorean philosopher and political activist in the city of Tarentum who was a friend of Plato was the model who inspired his idea of the philosopher king. It is only in Marcus Aurelius that we truly encounter a real philosopher-king in the West. It is said that Matthias Corvinus, the king of Hungary-Croatia from 1458 to 1490 was inspired by Plato's Republic and tried to live according to that.
In modern times, the authors of the American Declaration of Independence display the traits of philosopher statesmen.
We find the noblest of all modern political sentiments laid down as the foundation of the Constitution:
In the whole of modern political science, it is impossible to find nobler philosophy as guide to national affairs.
Nearer our own times, Dag Hammarskjold, the second UN Secretary General (1953-61 ) can be considered a philosopher-statesman.He had said in a speech:
Photo: UN/DPI
"But the explanation of how man should live a life of active social service in full harmony with himself as a member of the community of spirit, I found in the writings of those great medieval mystics [Meister Eckhart and Jan van Ruysbroek] for whom 'self-surrender' had been the way to self-realization, and who in 'singleness of mind' and 'inwardness' had found strength to say yes to every demand which the needs of their neighbours made them face, and to say yes also to every fate life had in store for them when they followed the call of duty as they understood it."His diary "Markings" is a remarkable document.
(photo credit: CESKA UNIE KARIKATURISTU )
Rajarishi
We in India have long been used to the ideal of the philosopher king, called the Rajarishi. They were Realised persons, engaged in service of society as Kings. Lord Krishna reminds Arjuna of Janaka and such others of old and asks him to follow them. In India the king derived his authority solely as the upholder of Dharma and was responsible for the maintenance of the moral order. Tiruvalluvar, the Tamil Saint-Poet devotes twenty verses to describe what would happen if the king followed the Dharma and did not follow.
ஓர்ந்து கண்ணோடாது இறைபுரிந்து யார்மாட்டும்
தேர்ந்து செய்வதே முறை. 541
Deliberating the will, and not leaning to one side; being impartial and consulting with the knowers of righteous law: that is the way for proper governance.
வான் நோக்கி வாழும் உலகெல்லாம்; மன்னவன்
கோல்நோக்கி வாழும் குடி. 542
The world looks up to the rain cloud for life; so do citizens look up to righteous rule for protection.
அந்தணர் நூற்கும் அறத்திற்கும் ஆதியாய்
நின்றது மன்னவன் கோல். 543
The just sceptre of the ruler is the mainstay of the science of the Brahmins and the foundation of Dharma.
முறைகோடி மன்னவன் செய்யின் உறைகோடி
ஒல்லாது வானம் பெயல். 559
If the ruler swerves from justice and righteousness, heavens will not send showers in their season.
ஆபயன் குன்றும் அறுதொழிலோர் நூல்மறப்பர்
காவலன் காவான் எனின். 560
The udders of cows will dry up, and the Brahmins will forget their science if the ruler falls from righteousness.
These were the ideals under righteous monarchy. People now will ridicule the idea that rainfall is directly related to the righteousness of the rule. The idea of normative righteousness will itself be questioned in a modern democracy.
Overarching moral order
The ancients believed in an overarching moral order which regulated everything. The Greeks believed that it was man's duty to follow that order in his own life too: personal life should reflect and follow the cosmic order. It was the duty of the ruler to promote the conditions necessary for people to follow such a life style. It was the practice of the Greek rulers to organize festivals in honour of their gods in which all citizens were expected to participate as part of their civic duties!. They could subscribe to any philosophy, but the traditional gods had to be honoured! It was part of the duty of the State to promote loyalty to the national ideals in religion and philosophy!To inculcate in the citizens the right spirit, they staged the Tragedies as part of the festivals. The Tragedies had heroic characters and showed how they were like toys in the hands of the gods! Sophocles wrote that mortal life was hard, and one had better get used to it!
From: You Tube.
Socrates
It was one of the charges against Socrates that he neglected to honour the gods! This was of course false, and it was made due to political rivalry. Socrates in his defence did show how he had participated in the festivals and honoured his domestic gods.
Thus we see that though the popular conception of the philosopher may be a solitary figure, avoiding much social interaction, philosophy as such cannot flourish in the land unless governance is congenial.
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