Plato’s depiction of democracy

Democracy as a Notion

Democracy as a notion has existed for many millennia. It is and was a crucial topic, with important philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, and Machiavelli devoting time to learning and teaching about it. It refers to a government in which the majority of society’s members have power, which they can either exercise directly or delegate to representatives through elections. Unlike Plato, Aristotle and Machiavelli advocate a democratic form of government in their texts. For instance, Aristotle in support of democracy maintains that naturally, man is a political animal and therefore there is no way one can separate man from politics. Due to their social nature, man lives in polis (community) where the struggle for power is the order of the day hence democracy according to Aristotle is a method of power distribution that is most just.

Machiavelli’s View on Democracy

Machiavelli in support of Aristotle on democracy maintains that out of the six forms of government, three are bad while the other three are good since through the three corruption can be evaded. The three good types of government according to Machiavelli are the principality, aristocracy, and democracy. Nonetheless, Plato’s position on democracy as highlighted in Plato’s Republic is very interesting and can be used in the interpretation of various popular cultures. In this case, Plato’s position on democracy is used in the interpretation of corruption as a popular culture.

Plato’s Opposition to Democracy

Unlike Machiavelli and Aristotle, Plato was strongly against democracy as a form of government. According to him, democratic self-government can never work due to the fact that the common citizen does not have the skills of running a state (Tarnopolsky: 288-312). As to whether the majority should run the state through representatives, Plato does not agree with this. He maintains that the majority, who are untrained in fundamental areas of governance such as military strategy, economics, ethics, and law, are full of ignorance and therefore if allowed to vote representatives, they will vote into power leaders basing on their appearance and oratory prowess as opposed to reason and wisdom. This if allowed will leave the state at the power and mercy of incompetent leaders who are out to satisfy their own self as opposed to working for the common good. The desire for self-satisfaction is inherent in the human soul as described in Plato’s description of the human soul. He points out that the soul of a human being is composed of spiritual emotions, bodily desires and appetites as well as knowledge and reason (Jackson: 14-38).

Power and Corruption in Democracy

Democracy according to Plato will allow ascending into power of leaders who are ruled by their desires and appetite as well as spirited emotions. This will result in leaders striving to secure their own physical survival. Such leaders who due to lack proper training according to Plato will lack the capacity to use knowledge and reason rendering them incapable of making rational and reasonable decisions. Reason imparts into a leader self-discipline which is fundamental in any good and just leadership. Lack of self-discipline in a leader will turn them into self-destructive gluttons who are controlled by their foolish emotions as well as thoughtless ambitions. The majority whom the advocates of democracy such as Aristotle and Machiavelli support to be entrusted with power are what Plato terms as ’lovers of money.’ Involving such people in running the affairs of the state is very dangerous to the existence of the state. It is like entrusting a wolf to take care of the sheep.

The Influence of Corruption on Democracy

As a popular culture, corruption is an unethical conduct by those entrusted with power which entails acquiring wealth through bribery and embezzlement for their own selfish gains at the expense of the majority. Corruption as a culture has existed for centuries and has denied states a chance for growth. Resources meant for development of the state have been embezzled by leaders who are elected to protect the same resources.

Plato’s Critique of Democracy and Corruption

Plato envisaged corruption in democracy no wonder he was strongly against democracy. In his description of the human soul, he points out that democracy will allow leaders guided by their desires and appetite to ascend into power (Fishman & Jakob: 63-75). The majority who are supposed to govern in a democratic government are what Plato refers to as lovers of money. This is the trend in the modern world. Aspirants will use all resources at their disposal to bribe voters so that they are elected into office. They appear humble and promise a pleasant future through their manifestos. They make eloquent speeches promising to address all social and economic problems of the common man. This blinds the voter and denies them the opportunity to choose a leader on the basis of wisdom and reason. Many are the times human desires and appetite have seen the voter accept bribes and hence vote a leader basing on how much the leader gives in terms of bribes during campaigns. This leaves no space for the wise, reasonable and just who do not have enough money to bribe voters to ascend to power.

The Cycle of Corruption in Democracy

Since the society has failed to interrogate where such massive money dished out during campaigns come from, despots would do anything to amass money and then dish it out to have them elected into power. Once in power, they take their level of corruption to higher levels. They embezzle resources meant for development of the state in an attempt to restore what they spend during campaigns and also in an attempt to maintain their financial status which will propel them into power in the subsequent elections.

The Ideal Form of Government

In the Republic, Plato seems to be advocating for oligarchy as opposed to democracy. His ideal form of government is where the ’Philosopher King’ full of wisdom and reason is at the helm. Under the ’Philosopher King’ are the majority and the soldiers. The soldiers are driven by the spirited emotions in the soul. This is the class of the armed forces which is usually smaller in number and are responsible for the safety of the community (Tarnopolsky: 4). The soldiers love honor and are driven by a desire for fame and admiration as they render service to the fellow citizens. This is a class of selfless individuals ready to sacrifice their lives and to give away their possessions for the success of the state. At the helm of leadership are the philosophers who constitute the smallest group usually comprised of elites. They are well trained in matters of economics, ethics, law as well as military strategy and are called ’lovers of wisdom.’ Such leaders are driven by their love of the state as opposed to the love for money evident in democracy. Hence, democracy is not the best form of government.

Work Cited

Fisman, Raymond, and Jakob Svensson. “Are corruption and taxation really harmful to growth? Firm level evidence.” Journal of Development Economics 83.1 (2007): 63-75.

Jackson, Jeff. “The Democratic Individual: Dewey’s Back to Plato Movement.” the pluralist 9.1 (2014): 14-38.

Tarnopolsky, Christina. “Platonic reflections on the aesthetic dimensions of deliberative democracy.” Political theory 35.3 (2007): 288-312.

Tarnopolsky, Christina. “Plato’s politics of distributing and disrupting the sensible.” Theory & Event 13.4 (2010).