ideal state
How things should
An ideal state is a condition of perfection or optimal functioning—the best version of how something could be.
In philosophy, it often refers to a perfectly governed society, as in Plato's *Republic*.
More broadly, any system has an ideal state: The engine runs best when all components are in their ideal state.
The term acknowledges a gap between aspiration and reality.
- utopiaImagined perfect society
- perfect worldImagined flawless state
- paradiseIdeal, blissful place
- perfectionAbsence of any fault
- best case scenarioMost favorable potential result
nirvana · good life · harmony · balance · democracy · justice · peak performance · enlightenment · higher plane · Elysium · equilibrium · philosopher king · serenity · virtue · fulfillment · egalitarianism · happiness · self-actualization
- PlatoPlato, academy, Academy, allegory, the Republic
- utopiasUtopia, Plato's Republic, paradise, Eden, golden age
- Plato's Lawslawgiver, laws, preludes, Crete, Sparta
- Plato's Republicthe Republic, Socrates, philosopher king, guardians, auxiliaries
- Platonic philosophyforms, soul, nous, logos, anamnesis
- ancient philosophyPlato, Aristotle, Socrates, Platonism, Epicureanism
ideal stateworst-case scenario
Most unfavorable possible outcome
nadir · rock bottom · nightmare scenario · dystopia · sorry state
ideal statestatus quo
Existing condition of affairs
reality · actuality · ground truth · lived experience · the way things are