The philosopher king is an essential part for turning the poorly managed cities into approximations of theoretical model for the just city. According to Socrates, the true philosophers are appropriate for ruling. Unlike inadequate rulers that love sights and sounds for their spectacles, Socrates describes the true philosophers as "those who love the sight of truth." (475e4) Unlike true philosophers, inadequate philosophers are only interested in small parts of wisdom. .
"The lovers of sights and sounds like beautiful sounds, colors, shapes, and everything fashioned out of them, but their thought is unable to see and embrace the nature of beautiful itself." (476b3-b5).
A true philosopher and an inadequate philosopher would have different thoughts if you asked them to describe the beauty of a flower. The shapes, colors, and smells of the flower would capture the inadequate philosopher; where as, a true philosopher would appreciate the intrinsic beauty. The true philosophers are fascinated with the spectacles of truth. They desire knowledge. A philosopher is a lover of wisdom. Lovers of wisdom desire not to posses merely a part of which they lover. They desire to possess the whole. Philosophers desire all wisdom.
Socrates presents the true philosophers as having a different kind of mind structure. In my perspective, the philosopher king's ability to appreciate the whole makes them worthy of ruling. I would see it fit to have a ruler that could see a situation for what it is worth rather than what it appears. I would be confident about my city if it were ruled by one who always had a desire for knowledge.
What attributes do philosophers posses that would justify them to be kings? A king must have keen sight to rule over his people. Who has keener sight than those who have knowledge of the reality of things? Who has an understanding of what things really are? .
"And isn't it clear that the guardian who is to keep watch over everything should be keen-sighted rather than blind?" (487c3-c4).