What Plato teaches us about workplace dictatorship

University students studying philosophy or political science regularly read the works of one of the most famous ancient Greek philosophers. Around 2,400 years ago, Plato became absolutely fascinated by a particular problem that we still face in our workplaces today that involves when too much power ends up in the hands of the wrong person.

He was part of the great trio of the most prolific Greek philosophers. He studied under Socrates and then later actually taught Aristotle. He founded the famed Academy in Athens which became one of the earliest great centres of higher learning in the Western world. His writings were so impactful that they shaped ethics, leadership, philosophy, and even politics for thousands of years.