Platos Criticism of Democracy Essay -- Plato

Plato's Criticism of Democracy Do not be angry with me for speaking the truth; no man will survive who genuinely opposes you or any other crowd and prevents the occurrence of many unjust and illegal happenings in the city. A man who really fights for justice must lead a private, not a public, life if he is to survive for even a short time. (Apology 31e-32a) These are the words of Socrates, who spoke before the Athenian jury in the trial that would, ultimately, condemn him to his death. Through works such as the Apology and The Republic, we can see Plato’s distaste of the concept of democracy. Why does he consider democracy to be so flawed? Let us look through his own eyes and see what his individual criticisms are, and determine if the very concept of democracy is as flawed as he believes it to be. One of the contemporary definitions of democracy today is as follows: â€Å"Government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives; Rule by the majority† (â€Å"Democracy† Def.1,4). Democracy, as a form of government, was a radical idea when it manifested; many governments in the early history of the world were totalitarian or tyrannical in nature, due to overarching beliefs that the strong ruled over the weak. Although the Greeks coined the word â€Å"democracy† – the words demos â€Å"people† and kratos â€Å"rule† conjoined together to mean, literally, â€Å"rule by the people† – there is speculation about weather or not certain other peoples, such as the Sumerians and the Indians, managed to engage in democratic methods of governance first. However, the history of democracy is not what is being discussed here; we are focusing on Plato’s criticism of democracy, particularly with regards to the Athenian model and his... ...n life. However, Plato’s criticisms should be kept in mind when determining the merit of a democratic government. Oh, would it not be great to have a democracy of philosophers, who would pursue truth and wisdom! Alas, we are only human, and susceptible to many evils and lies. The trick is to prevent such ignorant people from becoming the majority. At times, it seems nigh impossible to do so; curse our stupidity! WORKS CITED â€Å"Democracy.† Def.1,4. The American Heritage Dictionary. 2nd college ed. 1991. Plato. â€Å"The Apology.† Five Dialogues: Euthyphro, Apology, Cito, Meno, Phaedo. 2nd ed. Trans. Grube, G.M.A. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc, 2002. 36. Gorgias. Trans. Helmbold, W.C. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc, 1952. 18-19, 32-48. â€Å"Book V.† The Republic of Plato. Trans. Bloom, Allan. New York: Basic Books Inc, 1968. 153-154.

Covering Ignorance

In â€Å"The New Civil Rights†, Kenji Yoshino proposed that change is needed in our current civil rights. In recent discussion of civil rights, one issue has been seen that minorities are â€Å"covering† or toning down a disfavored identity to fit into the mainstream (Yoshino 479). On the one hand, some argues that â€Å"covering† is a vital part for a fluid social interaction and peaceful coexistence. From this perspective, we can see that the Yoshino’s â€Å"new civil rights† that should be based to individual rights rather than groups can have a drastic change in how our society functions (Yoshino 481).On the other hand, Yoshino argues that a â€Å"new civil rights† is needed for harnessing individual authenticity rather than to assimilate in group identities. In Steve Olson’s essay he said that Hawaii is a â€Å"melting pot of racial cultures† where races are almost indistinguishable because of the history of intermarriage b ut still these people chose to affiliate themselves differently than others (Olson 251). According to this view even with the lost of distinction between racial groups in Hawaii they still affiliate themselves to different groups to distinguish from the other groups.By looking at Yoshino’s paradigm of â€Å"new civil rights†, we can see that while its goal of â€Å"liberty† is commendable, it is dependent on individuals that will give action which is impractical. We can in sum, then, the issue is finding an effective way to help all citizens’ exercise their civil rights or will it be just a lost cause because we will remain ignorant of the issue. In Marc Maurer’s â€Å"Creating Disability Rights† Maurer said â€Å"they themselves the disabled are the primary agents of change† (Maurer 6).Maurer wanted to change the view of the judicial court about how the disabled are being discriminated and not being protected by the civil rights, but again like Yoshino’s idea, Maurer needs the people to see the issue and act upon it which can cause people to ignore it. I myself didn’t really give too much thought about these matters because I lack knowledge in these issues about civil rights. I suppose there is some degree of demand necessary in order to provoke or encourage a social change but because today’s society is like water in that it always seems to take the path of least resistance.If there is any obstruction it will simply go around. Most people don’t want their lives interrupted by pressing issues like gay or civil rights. They are viewed as obstructions. To maintain social flow, insistence for change by the struggling groups will be largely ignored and the norm of society will use assimilation as its justification vehicle, resulting in covering. In order to change, â€Å"we must be willing to see the dark side of assimilation, and specifically covering, which is the most widespread form of assimilation required of us today. (Yoshino 480) This statement elaborates on the idea that change will occur when society is educated enough to realize the identity assassination that occurs with assimilation, and also be willing to realize it rather than ignore. Education, as it has in the past, will be the best way for social change to occur. Urging change will always encounter resistance, where education will cause improvement. In this way the modern school can play a positive role in advancing this complicated society of ours toward a future in which all kinds of people are both valued and respected.

Wrongful Preconceived Notions About Somebody’S Ability

Wrongful preconceived notions about somebody’s ability to succeed based on their race, class, and gender have no place in the classroom, yet profiling of all types continues to make subtly make its presence known in urban schools. Profiling is an elusive subject to tackle in school; nobody wants to admit that it exists. Education has no room for prejudice, but people do. Ideally, these predispositions would not affect our lives, but the perception others have indisputably influences how self-image develops. As Bath Hatt eloquently says, â€Å"Every student that is a apart of the institution of schooling develops an academic identity that helps to shape who we are think we are, who others think we are, and who we think we should become† (146).†¦show more content†¦Much like race, socioeconomic status is vulnerable to encouraging better treatment to a very specific type of student: kids in the upper middle class. Culture of poverty is the term that has been makin g its way through the hallways and administrative forces. This idea focuses on how to teach poor kids, as if the students themselves are less qualified or capable of learning (Gorski 30). The existence of this culture was coined by people are not affected by it; despite no refutable evidence that it exists, the culture of poverty is overly-present in urban classrooms. It acts as a way to justify the controllable elements of the unsatisfactory education poor students receive. Moreover, class is not commonly observed as problematic in schools, resulting in the very mocking attitude towards poverty that undermines and generalizes the seriousness of poverty (Adair and Dahlberg 18). The existence of â€Å"white trash parties† on college campuses not only promote dangerous stereotypes about poor students, but blatantly encourages the separation of class. The nation is weakened by these antiquated prejudices; this is profiling, and its occurrence in schools is an injustice to all st udents. Classism is real and its effects can be felt in virtually every aspect of society. Public school is not free of its reigns. Wealthier students are significantly more likely to receive a better foundational education than their poorer classmates; students in urban schools frequently have