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July 9th

THE PHILOSOPHER KING

“For I believe a good king is from the outset and by necessity a

philosopher, and the philosopher is from the outset a kingly

person.”

—MUSONIUS RUFUS, LECTURES, 8.33.32–34

he Israeli general Herzl Halevi believes that philosophy is essential in
his role as a leader and warrior. “People used to tell me that business
administration is for the practical life and philosophy is for the spirit,” he
said. “Through the years I found it is exactly the opposite—I used
philosophy much more practically.” War and leadership offer an unending
series of ethical decisions that require priorities, balance, and clarity. That’s
what philosophy helps with.
Plato knew this when he imagined a utopia ruled by a philosopher king.
“Either philosophers should become kings,” he said in The Republic, “or
those now called kings should truly and sufficiently undertake philosophy.”
Marcus Aurelius was quite literally that philosopher king.
What does that have to do with you? There are fewer kings these days,
but we’re all leaders in one way or another—of families, of companies, of a
team, of an audience, of a group of friends, of ourselves. It’s the study of
philosophy that cultivates our reason and ethics so that we can do our job
well. We can’t just wing it—too many people are counting on us to do it
right.