In order to clearly understand why Plato seems to find democracy and the democratic soul so objectionable one must first understand the definition of what democracy means. Plato's discord with democracy does not concern the democracy we know today nor does it directly concern Athenian democracy. Rather, it is the Form of democracy in which he criticizes. For a Greek (man), democracy, meant the rule of the people? in a much more literal sense than it does for the citizens of most of the modern states which claim to be democracies.? .
Plato's charge against democracy is simply that it violates the proper order of society by creating an artificial equality. His fundamental criticism of democracy is (essentially) that it is an irrational form of the constitution. It is based on the assumption that every citizen is equally entitled to a say in political affairs, no matter how unsuited he is in terms of ability, character or training? . Basically no matter how ignorant a person may be, they still could find themselves playing a significant role in public affairs. The key to a successful political career lay in being able to speak persuasively?for this reason the art of oratory or public speaking came to be highly valued.? .
A system where value and merit are disregarded and instead unconditional equality promoted disgusted Plato. Plato and Socrates both felt that all people were born with knowledge but that not all people were in touch with the knowledge they possessed. It was through a process of questioning that simply made them recall what was already ingrained. Plato throughout the book rejected the idea that all men are equals. Instead of supposing every man is innately good, Plato holds that every man has a right to pursue the good.? Socrates and Plato both believed with much support that all men should strive to reach the highest forms knowledge.
Socrates believed in three parts of the individual soul- sensation, emotion, and intelligence.
In addition, in The Politics Aristotle critiques Plato's ideal city and offers his own model for society. ... The main critique of Cephalus" argument is that his proposal is instrumental not intrinsic. ... Plato agrees with the second definition. ... Plato is distrustful of human nature. ... Aristotle proposes the ultimate form of politics is a democracy. ...
David Thoreau would unarguably agree with Plato's quote. ... Since the government does not care about each and every individual, it is not a true democracy. If it is not a true democracy, then injustice still persists. ... Both of these intellectuals give very persuasive arguments, but Socrates is a bit harsher in his critique. ... The American government is a majoritarian democracy. ...
Furthermore, much analysis is available to state against a world like this; reading from the other philosophers there are many points Plato, Kant, and Mill would make against this also. ... On the other hand Mill would critique a world like this because it is strictly focused around physical and bodily pleasures and not the "higher pleasures" of life, like strong emotions, knowledge, and striving for big goals. ... That is something Plato, Kant, and Mill would all critique about a society like this. ... Freedom is one of the most important things I value about the democracy government we ...
The article used as reference for the majority of this paper was written by Patricia Springborg in 1984, titled "Karl Marx on Democracy, Participating, Voting, and Equality". ... She specifically singles out Marx's theory on participatory democracy. Marx, unlike democratic reformist critics such as Plato and Aristotle, believes that democracy should be a community activity and not an individualist one. ... Springborg criticizes this point and states that true democracies place each individualist cause as a matter of concern and priority. She sites that critique mainly to discourage an...
The interwoven connection between this modern concept of freedom and its realisation by technology is nowadays a part of the self-understanding of the Western, human self and a precondition to the historical development of Western, liberal democracies. ... It derives the existential character of the ecological crisis and its life threatening character not only from the so-called 'Reports of the Club of Rome' and from other theoretical and empirical investigations, but in particular from Plato's theorem of the 'plenitude' of a cosmic order. ...
Adverse reaction as a result of action takes place in Plato's Five Dialogues, Henry David Thoreau's Walden and Civil Disobedience, Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle, and The Marquis De Sade's Justine. ... In Plato's "Euthyphro" (translated by F.J. ... Plato describes his teacher as a man who sought social justice. ... Thoreau believes that the "silent majority" is one that feels that they should be getting more out of their democracy, but do not know how to express their dissent without being unpatriotic. ... Thoreau is harsh in his critique of soldiers and other in...
Hence, utopias are doomed to failure, as my critique will show. ... The twentieth century journalist Malcolm Muggeridge accepted Calvin's view while critiquing enlightened utopian views. ... We know Socrates through his student Plato's writings. Plato sought a republic where people had knowledge of the Idea of the Good. ... Aristotle tried to reconcile Pericles and Plato (i.e., political action and philosophy) in one. ...
It shows concern for both postmodern persons with a postmodern spirituality and postmodern global order in the postmodern societies by listening to the voices of the ecology movement, feminist's critique, pacifist's petition and transcending the "individualism, anthropocentrism, patriarchy, mechanization, economism, consumerism, nationalism, and militarism- (Griffin 1993:ix). ... Fredrich Nietzsche critiques that all claims of truth, reason and science are tools for the preservation of life by the will to power which seeks to control and to dominate (1968: 227). ...
He was the founder of utilitarianism and that is one of the most important in a democracy. ... His first book (Essay Concerning Human Understanding) concerned arguing with Plato, Descartes and other scholars citing that there are no original ideas or principles. ...