Democracy And Parthenon: A Comparative Analysis

Politics, literature, and architecture are important in any culture or society. Learning about past societal influences is important so that we understand how the past has influenced present day society and culture. For example, it is important to understand the history of democracy since it is still so widely used and accepted as a political system, and see the moral reasoning behind obeying laws. It is also crucial to culturally educate oneself on the importance of the architecture of the past and its continued influence today. In this paper, I will discuss the importance of the emergence of democracy, the Crito, by Plato, and the Parthenon. The political system of democracy emerged during the Hellenic Era. At the time, the main political …show more content…
Some great advantages of a democracy include the people have a say of who governs them, the majority party can support their will through the political process, and unsatisfactory rulers can be easily replaced through elections. Disadvantages on the other hand include the ability for the party of the majority to oppress the minority through improper use of political power. For many reasons, most citizens are not very well educated on the important political and social issues but they still hold the political power and exercise their right to …show more content…
In order to represent wealth, culture, and power, the Parthenon is the most copied building in the world. The U.S. Supreme Court building is an example of architects taking inspiration from the Parthenon in order to physically convey its importance. Since its construction, the Parthenon has been used as a temple, converted to a church and then a mosque. In the 19th Century C.E. the Parthenon was looted for its sculptures and in the 20th Century, tragic restoration took place. Restorative architects in the 1900s put metal braces, that began to rust and cause damage, in between blocks and placed blocks in the wrong places. It has been over thirty years since the Acropolis Restoration Project began and has cost over one hundred million dollars to date. In this paper, I have attempted to show the importance of the beginning of the democratic political system, the moral reasoning behind obeying laws provided by the Crito, and the influence of the Parthenon throughout time. All three of these topics tie into each other through their connection to politics, law, justice, and power. The importance of these subjects is their continued relevance in today’s culture and