What does Socrates say about democracy?
Plato’s Republic presents a critical view of democracy through the narration of Socrates: “foolish leaders of Democracy, which is a charming form of government, full of variety and disorder, and dispensing a sort of equality to equals and unequaled alike.” In his work, Plato lists 5 forms of government from best to …
What did Socrates say about government?
Socrates believed that this translated into politics with the best form of government being neither a tyranny nor a democracy. Instead, government worked best when ruled by individuals who had the greatest ability, knowledge and virtue, and possessed a complete understanding of themselves.
What did Socrates and Plato believe in?
Socrates also taught that a man is only capable of demonstrating wisdom when he admits that he does not know everything. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were all philosophers. Philosophy is the study of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline.
How does Plato criticize democracy?
Critique of democracy In the Republic, Plato’s Socrates raises a number of objections to democracy. He claims that democracy is a danger due to excessive freedom. He also claims that democracies have leaders without proper skills or morals and that it is quite unlikely that the best equipped to rule will come to power.
How did Plato feel about politics?
Plato’s political philosophy has been the subject of much criticism. In Plato’s Republic, Socrates is highly critical of democracy and proposes an aristocracy ruled by philosopher-kings. Plato’s political philosophy has thus often been considered totalitarian by some.
How do Plato and Socrates differ?
One of the primary differences between Plato and Socrates is that Plato gave a lot of importance to the soul of the human being than the body. On the other hand, Socrates did not speak much about the soul. According to Plato, each person has a function, and the city can be virtuous when each one performs his function.
What did Socrates and Plato say about democracy?
Socrates and Plato both believed with much support that all men should strive to reach the highest forms knowledge. Plato (Republic, Book VI) argues that democracy is inferior to various forms of monarchy, aristocracy and even oligarchy on the grounds that democracy tends to undermine the expertise necessary to properly governed societies.
What did Socrates ask Adeimantus in the Republic?
In Book Six of The Republic, Plato describes Socrates falling into conversation with a character called Adeimantus and trying to get him to see the flaws of democracy by comparing a society to a ship. If you were heading out on a journey by sea, asks Socrates, who would you ideally want deciding who was in charge of the vessel?
What did Plato mean by calamity at the heart of democracy?
A calamity at the very heart of democracy, it would lead only to tyranny and subjugation. In book VIII of The Republic , Plato begins to describe several stages of government that are intolerable, yet unavoidable.
Who was Socrates and what did he do?
Socrates 470 bc 399 bc is a classical greek philosopher considered as one of the most important philosophers of western culture. Governments should be afraid of their people alan moore v for vendetta. To know is to know that you know nothing.