Publication in Russian on the Zen blog
https://dzen.ru/a/ZvaBtknAED2x7Hli
The roles of the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, viewed through the prism of Platonic and Neoplatonic philosophy and the ancient division of humanity into copper, silver, and gold, reflect different moral and intellectual inclinations. Plato's Concept: The Philosopher King and the Metals of the Soul - Plato's concept of the philosopher king, embodied in The Republic, represents the ideal ruler who rules not for personal gain, but in pursuit of goodness, truth, and justice. Plato also divided society into three classes, each corresponding to a metal - gold, silver, and copper (or bronze) - reflecting the nature of their souls and the virtues they embody. Golden souls are philosophers or rulers, guided by wisdom and a desire for the common good; silver souls are helpers or warriors, driven by courage and a sense of honor; Copper souls are artisans and producers, driven primarily by base desires such as wealth, power, and physical pleasure. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky embodies the characteristics of a golden man. He strives to uphold ideals such as justice, freedom, and equality, even at great personal risk and sacrifice.
In contrast, Russia's current leader Vladimir Putin is positioned as the embodiment of a copper soul, driven by base instincts such as power, dominance, and personal enrichment. Three values by which we judge, and three values by which we act. In his six great ideas, Mortimer Adler expands on Plato's thought by identifying three fundamental values by which we judge human actions - truth, beauty, and goodness - and three values by which we act - freedom, equality, and justice. These six ideas form a matrix by which individuals and societies can evaluate morally and ethically. The Ukrainian president embodies these higher values in his behavior. The truth is evident in his steadfast resistance to disinformation and his engagement with the international community, often under grave personal threat. In a philosophical sense, beauty signifies the harmony and balance of social order that Zelensky seeks to maintain by defending Ukraine’s sovereignty and democratic structure. His leadership is characterized by kindness, driven by a desire for justice and equality for all citizens.
On the other hand, freedom is perhaps the most visible value that Zelensky embodies, as his leadership is focused on preserving Ukraine’s freedom and independence. Equality is reflected in his desire to align Ukraine more closely with European democratic values, where citizens are considered equal before the law. Finally, justice, as the highest Platonic ideal, underpins Zelensky’s fight against aggression; he is willing to endure enormous hardships to protect the rights of his people and uphold a just international order. In contrast, according to these values, the Russian leader’s actions can be seen as erratic. Rather than being guided by truth, Putin’s leadership is characterized by propaganda, manipulation, and disinformation, both domestically and internationally. Beauty is absent, as his actions have led to destruction and discord rather than harmony, both within Russia and abroad. His concept of good is distorted, prioritizing personal or national gain over moral integrity. Putin’s approach to the values by which we act is disordered. Notably, the cornerstone of moral action in both Plato’s and Adler’s concepts – the desire for power and control – is absent. Copper versus Gold: Putin’s copper-souled motives are primarily based on base desires – hence, his rule of power is not aimed at serving the common good, but at satisfying personal or oligarchic interests. This is evident in Russia’s actions on the world stage, where territorial expansion, control of resources, and political influence often take precedence over justice or the well-being of the world. Zelensky, by contrast, embodies the characteristics of a golden man. His actions indicate a ruler who puts the common good above his own personal well-being. In line with Adler’s values, Zelensky prioritizes justice – not just for Ukraine, but for a broader world order that upholds the rights of sovereign states. His willingness to sacrifice himself, including threats to his life and the challenges of leading a country under siege, underscores his commitment to freedom and equality, values that transcend individual self-interest and speak to a higher moral calling. In this Neoplatonic and Platonic-oriented framework, Ukraine’s leader embodies the highest form of human motivation, befitting a golden soul whose quest for justice, truth, and the basic good stands in stark contrast to the actions of Russia’s leader, who is driven by the base desires of a copper coin. These inclinations determine the course of history and the fate of nations.
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In this post, I want to talk about the leader of Russia and the president of Ukraine in a conceptual framework that I hope will shed light on the future of these two countries. The news that many people read is the lowest form of knowledge that you can get. We are going to talk about abstract theoretical concepts to give a conceptual framework in which you can put facts and data and maybe even get some predictive value. And in that framework, I will use Neoplatonic thinking, applying it to the leader of Russia and the president of Ukraine. And in the context of that conceptual framework, I will conclude my post with some predictive assessments. The reason I use Plato's philosophy is because Plato is timeless. Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, and in modern times, Mortimer Adler - these are great sources of philosophy with great knowledge and books. Plato's concept is that there are values by which we act and there are values by which we judge. The values by which we act are social values - freedom, justice and equality, where justice is the highest good, because there can never be too much of it. Equality and freedom are limited goods. If there is too much freedom, society gets out of control. Equality in society is guided by the idea of justice. Therefore, if humanity strives for peace, then people need to work for justice. There are also values in society by which we judge. These are individual values - beauty, truth, goodness. Kindness, as it may seem, is the highest good, but in fact it is truth. Truth and beauty are what pleases the eye, but do not require that they be used as a work of art, while kindness is a judgment based on moral values. And truth is the highest good, says Plato, because it is the basis from which we are guided. How does all this relate to Ukraine and Russia? The Tsar of Russia acts according to some social values, rejecting and rejecting justice, he does not care about freedom, he does not care about equality or justice, he cares about something else, but he acts according to the laws of nature. Plato said that there are three types of people, the highest of which is the gold one. This is the pursuit of truth. And when you pursue truth, as a leader, you ultimately strive for justice and building a just society. You think about abstract ideals, if you strive for silver, you strive for glory. This is the example of runners in the Olympic Games. Or in the Special Olympics, when an amputee seeks to overcome difficulties, sacrificing himself and suffering for this. Most people, according to Plato, are copper-pursuing natures. The goal of such natures is the possession of appetite, whether it is lust or greed. A ruler guided by such appetites is the lowest form of government, because he strives only for pleasure and self-satisfaction. One might think that the Tsar of Russia strives for glory or silver, but certainly not for gold. However, if he made the same sacrifices as an endurance runner training for the World Championships, we could say that he works for the glory of Russia. But this is not true, because he surrounds himself with a comfortable life, personifying a person who strives for pleasure, and he is a penny. In this case, it is better to be an epicurean, when having money, you lead a modest life and live for your own pleasure, but so as not to satiate yourself with the excess of these pleasures. But he surrounds himself with earthly pleasures. He is definitely not made of silver in pursuit of glory, because he does not sacrifice himself, he lives his life. He does not strive for gold, because he does not strive for the real truth and those truths that are eternal, ultimately, this would lead him to justice, and as a leader, he would try to build a just society. And a just society strives for peace and strives to make humanity as good as possible. So we can conclude that the president of Russia is a weak and primitive man. What this means for the future of humanity in the world and for the future of Russia, I will speak about this later, because now we will move on to the president of Ukraine. He does not live for his own pleasures, because he is on the front line, he suffers a lot and his life is quite stressful, and the proof of this is the fact that he could have left the country and went to London in early 2022, but he did not. He probably doesn't go for silver either because it's just not in his nature, if you read his biography you'll notice that he prefers to keep a low profile, he doesn't go for glory. He probably goes for justice because he really cares about the people he leads. So what does all this mean for history? People like the Tsar of Russia who tried to rule the country bring shame to the country, like Germany in the 40s, or Nero who brought destruction, decline and shame to the ruler and the whole country. Unlike other rulers who brought glory, goodness, justice and prosperity to the country. From this we can conclude that Ukraine, thanks to its leadership, is on the way to a better future, making it more humane and contributing to the development of the world. Unlike Ukraine, the country of Russia will probably be disgraced, and the people who did not say it out loud and did not take action to change Russia for the better will end up on the wrong side of history. And I would suggest that in the Platonic sense, ignorance is one of the worst things. Therefore, the pursuit of truth is necessary, because an ignorant person would not put his hand to the fire if he knew that he would get burned. For example, if the people in Germany saw how much shame they would bring to their country in the future, they would burn to ashes on the spot, an eternal monument to that shame. In the humanistic sense on this Earth, or in the Eternal sense, if you believe in the Divine, people cannot go that way, because it leads to punishment or at least to separation from the Divine. And in the same way, in the Platonic sense, you would not put your hand to the fire if you knew that you would get burned. So ignorance is the highest evil in the Platonic sense, where, on the contrary, the pursuit of truth and the struggle for truth is the highest good. The game is over. And it will happen sooner than some people think, just like it happened to Germany in the 40s. It will bring shame to Russia and it will not make Russia better, but in the meantime the rest of humanity will continue to grow and make the planet better, and that is the conceptual basis when comparing two leaders - the president of Ukraine and the president of Russia - you can imagine the future.
What is the economic goal of society? (More about the key values of society: Freedom, Equality, Justice).
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Платон - великий древнегреческий философ, ученик Сократа и учитель Аристотеля. Каждый кто увлекается или изучает философию обязан прочитать труды Платона.
Государство - очень полезно знать именно это его творение. Много прозрений, живой язык, впечатляющие образы. Содержание книги прошло сквозь несколько тысячелетий и осталось актуальным и поныне.
Государство - одно из величайших сочинений древнегреческого мыслителя Платона, написанное в 360 году до н.э., по сию пору не утратившее крайней актуальности. Сочинение выстроено по принципу бесед, посвященных проблемам устройства идеального государства.
Фома Аквинский - итальянский теолог и философ. Истина едина, вера и разум не могут противоречить друг другу. Величайший мыслитель, который внёс свой вклад в развитие мысли о философии.
Аристотель - прекрасный философ и основположник формальной логики.
Мортимер Адлер - писатель, философ, потрясающий автор книг.
Чтобы понять прочитанное, необходимо искать истины, скрытые между строк. Это позволит правильно понять, что хотел донести писатель.
News is the lowest form of knowledge. News is just temporary information, often taken out of context.
Putin, like any dictator, is fighting only for his own survival, because he knows that the fate of an unsuccessful dictator is to hang by his heels from a lamppost. We remember Hitler, Mussolini, Ceausescu of Romania, etc. But Putin believes that he is gold, and he speaks his truth.
Justice is the soul of the Universe. Justice and a just peace are what bring lasting peace to the world.
"As far as the rays of a little candle reach! So much the light of a good deed in a weary world" (William Shakespeare).
Publication in Russian on the Zen blog
https://dzen.ru/a/ZvaBtknAED2x7Hli
