In this aspect, the leader that Plato is speaking about is one who has the intellectual capacity superior to that of the followers. The average person places power in the hands of the leader who has the wisdom to lead them. Thus, when speaking about this kind of leader, Plato is correct to assert that the leader has the qualification, not possible with the average person, to make the moral decisions on the behalf of the state (Soccio, 2015). It is never viable for the average citizens to make such decisions, explaining why such power is vested upon the leader. The leader in the state is the one expected to make the decisions that have serious implications for the state.
The statement has major implications on pure democracy which are the rule of the people and by the people. In such democracies, although the people vote leaders, they also have a lot of influence on the policy decisions. Hence, the statement by Plato creates a situation where the people are not considered capable of making the decisions, but instead, vesting the decision-making power on the leader. From such a point of view, there is nothing like pure democracy because it is never possible for all the citizens to make the moral decisions affecting the state. There should be the duly elected leader who is intellectually endowed to make such decisions (Soccio, 2015). That is the kind of leader that Plato envisions.
Reference
Soccio, D. J. (2015). Archetypes of wisdom: An introduction to philosophy. Nelson Education.
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