Philosophy of Leadership

Paper Summary:

This paper considers the need to master leadership skills as a means for effective leadership. The paper reviews the work of James Farr, "Leadership vs. Management", as a critique of ineffective and effective leadership. It then reviews the leadership suggestions of Plato as shown in the "Republic". The paper finds this model of leadership especially negative in its criticism of democracy. It next turns to Thomas Hobbes, and again finds him extremely negative in his outline of the state of nature and the need for absolute government as shown in the "Leviathan". The essay finally turns to Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and finds that this is a positive and effective model of leadership.

From the Paper:

"Plato, for example, shows what he thinks our democratic society will become. It is a grim view, one I cannot endorse. In Book VIII of The Republic, he discusses society's descent to democracy, which he says follows the failure of an oligarchy. That is an order driven by fear of abject poverty (553c, 562b, 556c). Men show miserly respectability (553d), without control of reason or spirit. (551a, 553c, 556d). A few grow rich and shape the state they want, oppressing others. (552e, 5533, 564e)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Carpenter, C. C. J., et al. (1963, Apr. 9). "Public Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen." Accessed Mar. 12, 2007; available at <http://www.alexirvine.net/mlk/ public_statement.html>. Internet.
• Durant, Will. (1963) The Age of Louis XIV. (New York, New York: Simon and Schuster)
• Farr, James N. (Undated) "Leadership vs. Management: Do You Know the Difference?" Business Leader Online. Accessed Mar. 12, 2007; available at <http://www.businessleader.com/bl/sep97/leadrshp.html> Internet.
• Hobbes, Thomas. (1973). Leviathan. (New York, New York: Dutton). [used for pagination]
• Hobbes, Thomas (2006, Nov. 16) Leviathan. Accessed mar. 11, 2007; available at <http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/texts /hobbes/leviathan-contents.html>. Internet. [used for contemporary spelling]

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