(Republic 473c–d) Socrates describes these "philosopher kings" as "those who love the sight of truth" (Republic 475c) and supports the idea with the analogy of a captain and his ship or a doctor and his medicine.
(Staten 473c-d) Platon beskriver dessa "filosofkungar" som "de som älskar synen av sanning" (Staten 475c) och stöder idén med analogin av en kapten och hans skepp eller en doktor och hans medicin.