ucon and Socrates agree that there is not. Just as in the cave, the images are not as good or as pure as the true forms. However, like in the cave, people may assume that the image they view actually is the form. These images lead the people to a false conception of what seems to be reality. Just as the man who leaves the cave will return to it and realize how misguided those are who mistakenly believe the cave is reality, part of the philosopher/ruler’s training is to leave the cave, learn what reality is, and then return to the cave to receive practical experience for learning. Only by completing all the stages of training which end when the philosopher/ruler is approximately 50 years of age, will they have the knowledge necessary to adequately guard the city, act in the best interests of the community, and guide the next generation of philosopher/rulers. In the Republic, this is the only way to realize the forms and know the difference between what seems to be and what is.To Socrates, seeming is bad and being is good because only those who can actually be, and who truly know what is can be guaranteed to make the appropriate decisions concerning the Republic as a community. Those who assume that the images represent reality do not have enough knowledge to guide or to guard the Republic. This is the reason that the Republic needs the philosopher/ruler; someone who has the wisdom, the knowledge and the training to lead the Republic in the way that is best; someone who knows what actually is reality and what is merely an image of reality.Niccol Machiavelli’s The Prince disagrees with Plato’s theories presented in the Republic. In Machiavelli’s work, he points out that the prince only has to seem good when it suits his needs, not to truly be good. The prince should gain power through whatever way is possible: deceit, corruption and manipulation. “It is not necessary for a prince to have [certain] q...
