Final answer:
The suitable actual city for philosophers is Athens, as it was a center of cultural and intellectual activity in ancient Greece. Philosophy, as depicted in Plato's Republic, could enrich and strengthen a city by promoting justice and virtue, contrary to the idea of destruction.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question of which actual city is suitable for philosophers, and whether philosophy could destroy a city, stems from a passage in Plato's Republic (497b-e). In the context of Plato and Aristotle's teachings, as well as the philosophies of Al-Farabi, the ideal city for philosophers is rooted in ancient Greece, particularly Athens, which was seen as a center of education, culture, and philosophical thought. According to the texts, philosophers like Socrates advised that the quest for true happiness and justice should be through reason and critical thinking, which Athens embodied as a democratic city open to ideas and intellectual adventure. While Sparta, with its strict discipline and oligarchic state, presented an alternative path of uniformity and safety.
In Plato's Republic, a just city is described as one that organizes society around mutual need and aptitudes, gradually developing trade, commerce, and defense systems through the efforts of its guardians, who are philosopher-warriors leading the society. This text, through thought experiments, explores the potential benefits of philosophical rule in a city, suggesting that philosophy strengthens rather than destroys a city by fostering justice and virtue. Therefore, the correct answer to the question is:
A) Athens is the ideal city for philosophers. Philosophy could strengthen, not destroy, an actual city.