Texas politicians should read a little Plato

In Plato’s Dialogue “The Statesman,” a young Socrates and a fellow identified as the Stranger investigate the nature of good government.

It’s a classic of Western philosophy. The book is more than 2,000 years old, but it sounds like commentary on the news in Texas.

Before you can get an idea of what good government is, it helps to understand what bad government is. And so the Stranger and Socrates construct an outlandishly hellish government.

In this government, there are two expert practitioners of useful arts: a ship’s captain who gets people and cargo safely where they must go and a physician who cares for his patients. Both are expert at what they do. The community is better off for their competence at their arts.

Now suppose we have a legislature with no special competence in those arts. These folks decide they must pass strict laws to guide the captain and the physician.

You can see where this going — or you should be able to see where it’s going.

It results in people who are not doctors telling doctors when and how they will perform medical procedures, including abortions.

It results in people who are not teachers telling teachers how they will teach history.

It results in people who don’t know anything about a subject making rules that make it impossible for experts — people with real competence — to practice the arts that benefit society.

Of course, there are also experts in governance. And, as I said, “The Statesman” is a classic on the topic. No one in public office in Texas seems to have heard of it.