A state arises, as I conceive, out of the needs of mankind; no one is self-sufficing, but all of us have many... — Plato

A state arises, as I conceive, out of the needs of mankind; no one is self-sufficing, but all of us have many wants.

Author: Plato

Insight: We usually think of government as something imposed from above, but Plato flips it: civilization exists because we're actually weak alone. Your commute, your job, even your coffee depends on thousands of people you'll never meet—proving we're still those dependent creatures Plato described. Independence is the real luxury only society makes possible.

Source: The Republic, Book II

A state arises, as I conceive, out of the needs of mankind; no one is self-sufficing, but all of us have many wants.

PlatoThe Republic, Book II

Insight

We usually think of government as something imposed from above, but Plato flips it: civilization exists because we're actually weak alone. Your commute, your job, even your coffee depends on thousands of people you'll never meet—proving we're still those dependent creatures Plato described. Independence is the real luxury only society makes possible.

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Plato

Plato was an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician, born around 428 BC in Athens, Greece. He is known for founding the Academy in Athens, one of the first institutions of higher learning in the Western world. Plato's philosophical works, including "The Republic" and "The Symposium," continue to be highly influential in Western philosophy.

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