The Importance of Philosophy in the Republic

Most people's vision of a philosopher is somebody who's practically incompetent. But if we had this ideal city in which philosophers could rule, then they could use their knowledge of the good and their moral qualities to benefit others. For Plato, it's really important how you educate these philosophers as well. They need to be brought up in such a way that they're not corrupted by outside influences. And at that top of that in the Republic is the form of the good, which ultimately gives meaning and purpose to all of the other decisions that we would make.