Plato’s critique of democracy in Republic
For as long as human society has existed, there has always been a search for the” best” or most optimal forms of organization of human life within a political community. Despite many controversies related to the concept of democracy, so far democracy is considered to be one of the most optimal and most thoroughly conceptualized way of organizing a political community.
Since the rise of first societies people searched for relevant rules that would reconcile different interests, values and beliefs and enable them to live peacefully within a given community. We can argue that there is a constant and immanent conflict between politics and ethical principles. It is not an easy task to come up with great and noble ideas how Good society should be led (ethics), but it is even harder to accomplish …show more content…
Be it as it may, the fact is that Athenian democracy has remained an inexhaustible source of inspiration for many theorists and statesmen. The epitome of democracy in Ancient Greece was to be found in politics of Pericles. However, what is interesting is that among ancient philosophers prevailed those who criticized democracy over those who praised it (Plato, Aristotle [who favoured politeia, i.e., constitutional government], but also later modern philosophers, like Kant [advocating for a mix model between aristocracy, monarchy and democracy], and Hegel [who did not think a social model should be entrusted to the collective will of a universal electorate], Nietzsche [he envisaged popular sovereignty as the tyranny of uniformity])
A clear example is to be found in Plato’s Republic,and his well-known critique of democracy. Here is a rather interesting description of a democratic society as one that encompasses diversity of all
For as long as human society has existed, there has always been a search for the” best” or most optimal forms of organization of human life within a political community. Despite many controversies related to the concept of democracy, so far democracy is considered to be one of the most optimal and most thoroughly conceptualized way of organizing a political community.
Since the rise of first societies people searched for relevant rules that would reconcile different interests, values and beliefs and enable them to live peacefully within a given community. We can argue that there is a constant and immanent conflict between politics and ethical principles. It is not an easy task to come up with great and noble ideas how Good society should be led (ethics), but it is even harder to accomplish …show more content…
Be it as it may, the fact is that Athenian democracy has remained an inexhaustible source of inspiration for many theorists and statesmen. The epitome of democracy in Ancient Greece was to be found in politics of Pericles. However, what is interesting is that among ancient philosophers prevailed those who criticized democracy over those who praised it (Plato, Aristotle [who favoured politeia, i.e., constitutional government], but also later modern philosophers, like Kant [advocating for a mix model between aristocracy, monarchy and democracy], and Hegel [who did not think a social model should be entrusted to the collective will of a universal electorate], Nietzsche [he envisaged popular sovereignty as the tyranny of uniformity])
A clear example is to be found in Plato’s Republic,and his well-known critique of democracy. Here is a rather interesting description of a democratic society as one that encompasses diversity of all