Socrates' Criticisms of Democracy

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Socrates' view of democracy and the democratic man as related in Book 8 of Plato's "Republic." In particular, the paper attempts to ascertain what specific problems Socrates has with democracy and democratic man. The paper then relates Socrates' criticisms - both those that the writer agrees with and those that he does not - to the state of affairs within the United States.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Criticisms of Democracy and Democratic Man
Freedom in Democracy
Equality in Democracy
Freedom and Equality in Democratic Man
Afterthought: The Democratic Ruler(s)
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Although it is clear that Socrates holds an uncomplimentary view of democracy, to say the least, it is equally clear to me that, conversely, in today's world democracy is largely respected and admired; countries strive to be "democratic" because of the positive connotations attached to the concept. What I have difficulty understanding is not the fact that countries today manipulate the definition of democracy to fit their own agenda, but rather why the concept, democracy, was chosen as the emulative term. Why isn't "socialism" seen as the "good" form of government? After all, in our country we are lacking a lot of the basic qualities that are supposedly essential to democracy. Yet at the same time the U.S. is arguably the most powerful, most economically well-off country in the world. There are many more questions like these that need to be explored, and I hope that throughout the course of this essay, through an examination of Plato's thought in the Republic, I have shed some light on some of the possible answers."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Cunningham, Frank. Theories of Democracy: A Critical Introduction. New York, NY: Routledge. 2002.
• Euben, J. Peter. "Democracy Ancient and Modern", in PS: Political Science and Politics, Vol. 26, No. 3. September 1993, pp. 478-481.
• Hasbach, Wilhelm. "The Essence of Democracy", in The American Political Science Review, Vol. 9, No. 1. February 1915, pp. 50-56.
• Mackenzie, J.S. "The Dangers of Democracy", in International Journal of Ethics, Vol. 16, No. 2. January 1906, pp. 129-145.
• Mayo, H.B. "How Can We Justify Democracy?" in The American Political Science Review, Vol. 56, No. 3. September 1962, pp. 555-566.

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