Ragnar from Vikings explains how political power is obtained

Last Updated on May 17, 2026

Here is the transcript of the video:

Björn: When the ice finally breaks, we will go back to Wessex and claim the land King Ecbert promised us. You know that was always my dream. I feel my blood warming. I want to fight. I want to raid.

Ragnar: Why do you want to fight? What are you fighting for?

Ragnar: [pointing] That. What do you see?

Björn: Power. The power of a king.

Ragnar: Power is always dangerous. It attracts the worst and corrupts the best. I never asked for power. Power is only given to those who are prepared to lower themselves to pick it up.

The last line – Power is only given to those who are prepared to lower themselves to pick it up explains the time we are living in. Or, maybe, forever that is why Plato said argued for the “Philosopher King” in his book “The Republic”

Here is the logic of the Philosopher King taken from Gemini

Plato’s argument was based on the idea that governing is a skill, much like medicine or navigation. He used the Ship of State analogy to explain why:

• The Problem: On a ship, you wouldn’t want the crew to vote on how to navigate based on who is the most popular or charismatic; you would want the person who actually understands the stars and the wind (the Navigator).
• The Solution: Similarly, Plato believed that only those who have “seen the truth”—the philosophers—possess the knowledge of the “Good” required to rule justly. He famously stated that “political power and philosophy” must coincide to bring an end to the troubles of city-states.