In Plato's The Republic, we are introduced to four forms of government, their causes, their reign, and their downfall. These four forms of government are timocracy, oligarchy, democracy, and tyranny. The most intriguing and well-known form to us is perhaps democracy with its rights and said "freedoms". It is best to examine the fine details of the institution that we as Americans, and most importantly as humans, get the privilege to enjoy. Democracy has its humble beginnings, time to govern, and time to be replaced.
Like all forms of government, democracy must start as an idea and make its way into effect. Democracy can be found in nations where poverty and prosperity are both common, such as here in the modern day United States and ancient
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When a democracy is finally established the people feel as if they have won and their voice is finally heard. Democracy is described as being the son of a stingy oligarchic man who is driven by his unnecessary appetites. A constitution is set up in favor of not just the majority or the minority but for the state as a whole. In a democracy the people are encouraged to think freely and to form opinions on how their government should work or think. Opposition is inevitable in a democracy and different view-points are bound to happen. If one side attempts to shun the ideas of one group because it does not align with their ideals then that should not be welcome. Opposing viewpoints are guaranteed under a democracy and we should not discredit those who do not agree with us. When the people are given the chance to vote they are given an opportunity that only the free may utilize. Voting is perhaps the greatest quality of a free and fair democracy. If the electors vote for someone who is educated, fair, and well-intentioned then they become one step closer to achieving peace and prosperity. If the electors vote for someone who is unfit to hold power then they have put their rights and freedom in grave danger. The unfit will use their power and ability to oppress the people and scrap everything a democracy has
Democracy is when the whole population are all members of the state for the government. Which means all people have equal rights. Nobody is less than another.
Democracy is known as a system of government when all eligible people of a state can voice their own opinions as well as elect representatives. Democracy is not once mentioned in The Declaration of Independence. Pros of a democracy are, its by the people and for the people. Democracy is meant for everybody to be eligible to vote and they are able to vote. The people are also able to participate in what they think, feel , and voice about the political, social, and economic issues that are presented to them. It's in the people's best interest not just the governments. The goal is to find solutions with decision-makers best interest. The main goal is to is find solutions that are best for the people and regulate conflicts between states and government. A democracy imposes equality, the people's votes carry the same weight, which makes all individuals to be heard and make them feel as if their opinion is important. Other than in elections of the state a citizens
Democracy formed in the 1700's and has opened the doors for individuals living in the United States to have a voice towards the principles established. Democracy provided freedom, representation for majority and minorities groups, and posterity.
Pericles , a famous Greek statesman once wrote a document called the Funeral oration (document 3) in which he describes what a democracy. This is the form of government which was instated during the Ancient Greek civilizations and is instated in the (modern-day) the United States. Democracy is made for the majority and not the minority. It is not based on the few leading, rather everyone gets a voice in society. It gives
Democracy is the idea government of present day. Many nations are converting to a democratic image to improve and better their society and make the people have a “fair” government. Today, it may seem easy to do things such as voting and our own freedom, but the expansion of democracy back then was a struggle. During 1776- 1920, many attempts were made to expand/ create democracy to increase citizen participation in the government. Acts for rights for suffrage, equal rights for the “lower class”, women, and African Americans, and balanced government where no one directly controls the government like the monopolists did, helped form the way democratic governments are run today. Events such as the Civil War, protests that created amendments and
When we think about democracy, we generally think about government, but democracy literally means ruled by the people. Abraham Lincoln described democracy as a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. In a democracy, people are free to criticize their elected leaders and representatives and give them input on how they should best represent the people. In turn, the elected representatives should listen to the people and make sure their needs and concerns are met. Free and fair elections should take place at specific intervals to keep leaders and representatives in office that have the people’s best interest in mind.
In the era of the contemporary United States, a country that has had the longest standing democracy, we are used to thinking very highly of its system. However, throughout our history, there have been a couple of critics to the system of democracy. It comes as no surprise that democracy does have its issues. One of the first pieces of literature where democracy was mentioned and analyzed at a deeper level was The Republic by Plato. This ancient Greek philosopher did not completely agree with democracy, regardless of the fact that ancient Athens was the first civilization that gave rise to it. In fact, in a numerical list that he composes on which are the best ways of ruling, Plato puts democracy at one of the lowest levels. In order, Plato’s list of types of government from most desirable to least desirable looks like this: 1.) Republic (The ideal city) 2.) Timocracy 3.) Oligarchy 4.) Democracy 5.) Tyranny. Additionally, In The Republic, Plato tells us his beliefs and values on certain aspects of life through the eyes of Socrates. So, even though Plato himself does not appear in The Republic and instead Socrates does, nonetheless, Plato and Socrates shared the same ideology when it came to democracy. As we know, Plato did not agree with democracy. As a result, in this paper, I will explore the greatest intellectual strengths and weaknesses of Plato’s view on democracy.
Plato’s plan to ensure Athens would have the best rulers starts with having a ruler who cares about their citizens, “…compelling our philosophers to have a care and providence of others…” (Plato 874). In this paragraph Plato is saying to have a good government, the people must have a caring leader who isn’t focused on the power being a leader bestows upon them. In his paragraph Plato outlines how a ruler can come to this realization to put his people first for the betterment of his kingdom. According to Plato to be an effective leader, one must be properly educated, more so than the previous leader (Plato 874).
Everything can be defined by placement in a category. In his Republic, Plato defines the changes that a society undergoes by categorizing the changes into five cyclic stages of government. The first stage of government, aristocracy, has the aristocrat do their art for the sake of their art. The second stage is timocracy, wherein the timocrat works for the sake of honor. In the third stage, oligarchy, the oligarch works under the sway of greed. Democracy, is the fourth stage, where the democrat is slave to the destructive thirst for freedom. The final, and according to Plato, the worst stage, is tyranny, wherein the tyrant strives for power. Within the public school system, the lives of high school students mirror the lives of people within a functioning society. In Hercules High School, the students’ lives, and therefore, their classes are also defined by the different governments. These classes include the aristocratic Medical Careers, the timocratic AP US History, and the tyrannical Dance Production.
Democracy is the ancient form of government our great nation built its foundation on. This inspiration came from the ancient Greeks, especially Athenians, who established the beginnings of democracy thousands of years ago. However, not everyone in Greece agreed upon what this “people led” political system should look like. The Peloponnesian War broke out in 431 B.C.E which was essentially a civil war between the Greece city-states of Athens and Sparta. Blood was spilt and lives shed for the principles of government these two very different cities represented.
Abraham Lincoln once stated, “Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.” In fact, one should acknowledge the importance of people coming out to vote in order to have a voice in the government. For this reason elections are a vital part of American Democracy.
When you think of the word democracy you think about a politics. I am not a fan of politics at all but when someone says democracy, I think of a system of government that the population votes in a candidate through elected representatives. The schooling system does a good job noftying children that their vote counts. These are the rights that everyone has to fight about because they are very important. People always fight for the right to vote and their voice to be heard. The word democracy just does not mean that citizens are only being heard it also means that the democracy needs to listen to the voice. I also think that democracy means that not only are you able to vote and your voice to be heard it means we as a democracy have a huge
The word 'democracy' originated from the Greek language. The word 'demos' means whole citizen living within a particular city-state and 'kratos' meaning power or rule, therefore meaning, every citizen in that specific area has equal power. Thus, every person is equal and no one is superior in any shape or form on the grounds of their race, gender, religion etc. Additionally, for a democracy to function accordingly, equality must be present among all citizens and with equality comes freedom from discrimination. In the words of Abraham Lincoln a democracy is a government 'of the people, by the people, for the people', hence the purpose of a democracy is to recognize its people as a sovereign, maintain the balance of human rights and accomplish the objectives that best serve the interests of the
Democracy is often referred to as the rule of the many, but Aristotle called this definition incomplete. In his book “Politics”, he explained that in a city if the majorities are aristocrats and if they have political authority, then it is an aristocracy not a democracy. He therefore defined democracy as when “free people have authority and Oligarchy as when the wealthy have it” (1290b). Plato viewed Democracy as a flawed system with too much inefficiency that would make any implementation of a true democracy not worth it. While Aristotle viewed democracy as a system that could work if it is limited to certain restrictions and if it is the regime that best fits the culture of the people to be governed. In this essay it will be argued that Plato’s view on democracy as a flawed system is more prevalent or more compelling if the current political arena around the world is observed.
Democracy is a form of government in which all eligible citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Democracy allows eligible citizens to participate equally—either directly or through elected representatives—in the proposal, development, and creation of laws. It encompasses social, economic and cultural conditions that enable the free and equal practice of political self-determination.