Defenses for Democracy

Defenses for Democracy

Is liberty a bad thing? Socrates seemed to think so. In Book VIII

of Plato's Republic, Socrates criticizes democracy by attacking three of

its most important aspects: liberty, equality, and majority rule. He

asserts that because of these things, a democratic city will always fall

into tyranny. I disagree, and feel that all three of the principles are

essential to a fair and just city, and only in their absence can a city be

taken into tyranny.

Socrates begins his observations on the defects of a democratic

government by first attacking liberty. His main argument is that there is

entirely too much of it. People in a democracy are free to do what they

wish in their lives and are free to chose what if any job they will do.

Socrates asks if, like the man with the democratic soul, they will not

just pass the time and not get much done (Plato, 557e).

This may be true, but people who do not work do not eat. In

Socrates city, much like in a communist regime, all of the people in a

city are responsible for the common good of all of the other members of

their city. A man who does nothing would truly be a burden on this

society, but unlike in Socrates city, or a communist state, in a capitalist

democracy people are responsible for their own survival, and a man

must work if he is to have a food, shelter, and all of the other

necessities of life.

When describing his just city, Socrates was very much in favor of

specialization of labor (Plato, 367e-372b), so for a man to try many

things would go against his concept of what belongs in a good city. But

Shouldn?t one try one?s hand at many tasks until one find a job that best

fulfills one?s soul? In Alienated Labor, Ka...

... middle of paper ...

...ey would still be in

existence today.

Bibliography:

Davis, Michael. The Politics of Philosophy. London: Rowman &

Littlefield Publishers, 1996

Hamilton, Alexander. Constitutional Convention Address.

Constitutional Convention, Philadelphia. 29 Jul. 1787

Durant, Will. The Story of Philosophy. New York: Simon and Schuster,

1961

Guigon, Charles, ed. The Good Life. Cambridge: Hackett Publishing

Company, 1999

Kennedy, John F. Speech at San Diego State College. San Diego

State College, San Diego. 06 Jun. 1963

Macaulay, Thomas Babbington Ed. Scott, Allan. The Works of Thomas

Babbington Macaulay. London: Wordsworth Poetry Library, 1995

Marx, Karl. Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts. Germany: 1844

Plato, Ed. Allan Bloom. Republic. USA: Basic Books, 1991

Spooner, Lysander. An Essay on the Trial By Jury. London: 1852