Good Governance in the Ethical Thoughts of Plato and Farabi

Plato and Farabi are considered as two representatives of the rationalist and idealist currents of thought in ancient Greece and Islam, whose ethical approaches are prominent in their theories. The ethical ideas of these thinkers have a clear political and social character that the present study examines the good governance from their perspective. 

The present study is theoretical and the method of the research is descriptive-analytical which has done using library resources.

 In all stages of writing the article, while respecting the originality of the texts, honesty and trustworthiness have been observed.

Good governance in Plato's ethical thought seeks to establish justice, the rule of law, and to place the philosopher-king at the top of the pyramid of the political system. From this point of view, justice in Plato's thought means moderation and harmony between the forces of society and the placement of each individual in a special place that is intended for him in the political system. But in Farabi's view, law and justice find a religious basis and the jurist-ruler replaces the philosopher-king. The implementation of the rules of Sharia is a fundamental principle in Farabi's political and social system, which is accompanied by a rational reading from the perspective of Greek wisdom. 

The system of good governance in Plato's ethical views can hardly be implemented, because it requires going beyond of the realities of society and build a political system by the philosopher-king; however the advantage of Plato's rule is that it considers justice, law and moderation in society to be rational and reformable. This thinking supported the idea of justice in the following centuries in the West. But on the other hand, in Farabi's views, there is a more realistic aspect that can build moderation in the model of Islamic governance based on the balance of wisdom and sharia. Therefore, Farabi's system of thought, based on the jurist-ruler, has operational capability and is built on the basis of ethical rules, including the principle of justice and the law of Sharia.