I would choose Warren Buffett.
I know conservatives hate him but he is beyond reproach, honest, brilliantly intellectual, and disinterested in terms of making money from public graft.
Our current form of government is sorely lacking and Plato has been on my mind.
Any objections?
Yeah, I object. If anybody gets to be Benevolent Dictator it oughta be me. Otherwise, I’ll have to go all Red Dawn on somebody’s ass.
I think Bertrand Russell sussed it – from* A History of Western Philosophy,* Chapter XIV, “Plato’s Utopia”:
“Put the smart guy in charge” might seem like common sense and maybe it is, in general terms; but, you’d have to accept Plato’s whole system, including his value-system (which despises the “democratic man”), before you accept his reasons for making kings of philosophers.
A Culture Mind.
I certainly wouldn’t trust any human to be competent, benevolent or incorruptible enough to be such a ruler.
Stephen Hawking. But he would never accept the job.
What about Jimmy Buffet? If we chopped his head off cause he bored us to death with his music noone would really give a fuck.
As for a philosopher King I put forward Dennis Miller. The president’s address would still be full of political mumbo jumbo and some crap about war and the economy but funnier and more entertaining.
Can anyone here actually name any living philosophers of note? Let’s start there.
I wouldn’t want a brilliant or perfectly ethical person; I would want some one who could inspire the service and devotion of brilliant and ethical people. Then he would be subject to a variety of opinions.
And it would have to be a man, so prevent the accusations of being too easily manipulated by his advisors. Well, a man or Madeline Albright. And he should be tall, and good looking, because people like and are re-assured by that. It also would give him additional confidence, necessary to not be threatened by people more intelligent and ethical than he.
He would have to be intelligent enough to select the most gifted advisors, and, ideally, less intelligent than they, so he would take their advice. He would have to be less ethical than his advisors, because government always requires compromise. He would have to have more than his fair share of charm, for the same reason.
He would also have to be a populist. The oligarchs will always support a stable government; he will need the support of the populace to keep the society stable - which is good for everyone. So, he will need that common touch, folksy manner, what ever you want to call it.
So, I want a tall, good looking, smart and charming man, with a folksy manner that hides his intelligence.
Noam Chomsky
Jurgen Habermas
Saul Kripke
Alasdair MacIntyre
John Searle
Peter Singer
OK, he can be King! 
Another question about whether he would accept it. He’d have to take a considerable pay cut and I just don’t see him going for it.
Yes, it is hard to lure the top minds away from the earning potential of philosophy.
Yeah, I’d object to Mr. Buffet. Besides being associated with those all you can eat thingies that I really, truly hate, and besides the questionable assertions that he’s ‘beyond reproach, honest, brilliantly intellectual, and disinterested in terms of making money from public graft’ (to paraphrase from Groundhog Day, we ARE talking about a human here, right? :p) he’s, well, old. He’d never last as a benevolent dictator, and then what would we do? Re-elect someone else or give the job to one of his kids in a year or so when the pressures had him shuffling off this mortal coil?
No, what you need is someone like, well, me. I mean what’s not to like? I’m dashing (it’s the Hispanic blood no doubt), round (you don’t want some military type with bulging muscles, right?), balding, and not TOO old…plus, I really want the job, which I’m sure no one else on this board would think to put themselves forward for it (discount that first post in the thread please). I think the title should be God Emperor however.
Buxom and nubile female types, there is an application for grape peelers and palm frond fanners…line forms over there to the right please…
-XT
As the Pirate Bay has taught us, who pays for intellectual property these days? And what true philosopher would accept anything but a token $1 per year payment? Fox News would eat him alive if he accepted anything more than cab fare. Combine that with a cool crown and ermine robes and you’ve got … you’ve got … I got nothing.
Fareed Zakaria. I’m sure tons of people are more qualified, but he comes to mind as a fairly rational policy wonk.
If I become Supreme Philosopher God Emperor of America, I promise to subject all deconstructionists to public deconstruction by the public torturer (officially, the Wielder of Occam’s Razor).
Benevolent? Benevolent?
I’m sorry, y’all need whipping.
If I had to choose somebody, I would go with Barry C. Black, currently the Chaplain of the U. S. Senate. He combines a lot of attributes that I find desirable in a leader. He has an inspiring life story, being born in poverty in inner-city Baltimore and working his way through college. He is very educated, with five graduate degrees including two Ph.D.'s. He’s studied and written on a broad range of topics that a leader should know, including politics, economics, religion, philosophy, history, and psychology. He’s been awarded by the NAACP for his civil rights achievements including being the first black admiral in the U. S. Navy and the first black man in his current post. His post has also necessitated working with members of both parties. Having seen him speaking in public, I can testify that he is an excellent speaker.
That said, I would still prefer democracy to dictatorship by anyone.
Of course, if we’re gonna do this Plato’s way, we’re gonna have to breed and train our philosopher-kings. In a cloistered, ivory-tower environment.
How about a kind of intermediate?
A senate composed of educated, intelligent people, instead of the political creatures.
Maybe no president? Presidents are beacon for powergrabbers, and an easy step up to dictatorship.
But how do we ensure this senate stays filled with the right people?
There should be ‘checks and balances’.
It should remain open to new blood, not an inbred club that resticts membership to its own.