Review of Platos Republic - Essay Example

Plato made it clear that he disliked the democratic system of government of Greece. In his book, “The Republic” Plato states that oligarchy and timocracy are favorable to democracy and that anarchy or totalitarianism is a less preferable system of government. Plato was an enemy of democracy because according to him, he identified deficiencies in the Athenian democracy. Plato in his book, the republic asserted that the Athenian democracy promoted inherent class tension and it did not focus on promoting equality and liberty of all the people (Plato 295).

            According to Plato, inherent class tensions were evident in the disunity between the Athenian classes that lacked discipline and respect for the ordinary citizens because of power. This according to Plato came from the incentives of the governed not to submit to the opinions of the governors. Democratic society in this sense goes on to abuse contemptible people who honor and respect the authorities and preserves its approval in personal and public life for governors or rulers who act like subjects and subjects who act like governors or rulers. Consequently, this leads to dictatorship and revolution. Plato explains that this eventuality leads to totalitarianism which is the most cruel and unjust system of government. This takes place when people flush with authority appoint a representative whose ways to being a dictator are evident. Plato as he criticized the democratic form of government used the tyrannical nature of Athens as an example. A democratic form of government aims at safeguarding human rights is, for Plato prone to develop into tyranny and resistance because of a lack of respect for order, discipline, and a sense of duty (Plato 298).

            Additionally, Plato also criticized the essential ideals, upon which democracy is formed, the issue of liberty. According to Plato, liberty leads to totalitarianism and this implies that social disunity is likely to occur. Plato says that a democratic system of governance comprises all types of people, which depicts emphasis on the absence of cohesiveness in a democratic nation. Pervasive liberty implies people are permitted to do what they want and desire, and not what they are trained to do. Plato thought that people must focus and remain committed to the profession in which they got God-given talents and skills. This in turn matches a sense of unified, efficient society and social justice, a level of unity that Plato imagined could not be attained in a democratic society. In his book, ‘The Republic’ Plato states that giving power to the hands of some individuals has detrimental aftermath on the justice and efficacy of the nation. This is because he doubted the ability of people to govern in a just manner (Plato 299).

             Plato believed that since the possessions or wishes of some minority people in society interfere with the acquisitiveness, and wishes of the majority, the final product of democracy will be a chaotic, disorganized, and undisciplined society. Therefore, according to Plato, choosing or electing a leader into a position of power does not make sense since democracy is a process of elections, which leads to corruption since the elected person would be given much power. This argument is based on the fact that power corrupts while absolute power corrupts absolutely. This is true since matters are decided by votes. For instance, policies governing how a person may use his or her land may be determined by vote (Plato 301).

            Plato’s assertions were justified since he did not spare both the governed and the rulers. Plato compared the politicians who have been elected to the crew who all the time quarreled with one another about how the ship ought to be navigated in that each feels that he ought to be the leader or at the helm. Instead, Plato asserts a good leader does not put his interests first at the expense of the masses (Plato 300).

Further, he stated that political equality and liberty do not offer real justice and happiness for the masses or the majority in the State. Plato instead explains that electing or choosing a great orator or philosopher does not lead to efficient governance but a good governor is morally righteous and concerned about the needs of the people who elected him or her to the office.