# Plato’s infamous Ship of State thought experiment

- Institution: TED
- Department: TED-Ed
- Speaker: Michael Vazquez
- Year: 2026
- Level: For everyone
- Language: English
- Subjects: Society and politics, Law, History, Philosophy, Teaching and learning
- Source: [TED](https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_vazquez_plato_s_infamous_ship_of_state_thought_experiment)
- Licence: [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) (Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions.)
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (sources give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the source's own words)

Imagine a ship struggling in an endless storm. Its captain, though strong and commanding, is a terrible navigator. Neither he nor his crew have been trained to sail, yet they tirelessly vie for control through bribery, flattery, and mutiny, and ignore those with real navigation knowledge. This dysfunctional vessel is Plato's Ship of State. Michael Vazquez explores the infamous thought experiment. \[Directed by Luis Torres, Mr. Flama, narrated by Jack Cutmore-Scott, music by André Aires, AIM Creative Studios\].

## Lectures

1. [Plato’s infamous Ship of State thought experiment](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/ted/michael_vazquez_plato_s_infamous_ship_of_state_thought_experiment/547930f53e4d), 6 min (TED's player)