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The Pros And Cons Of Democracy In The Republic

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Why did Plato reject democracy in The Republic? Cormac O'Herlihy 14318287 There is a strong case to be made to call Plato the greatest of all ancient Philosophers, and a stronger one still to say that The Republic was the greatest of his works. Written as a dialectic between Socrates, Plato's teacher, and a number of Socrates friends and students, The Republic deals with the question of Justice, the character of the just city/society, and the just man. The first seven of the ten books concern themselves with the definition of justice, and the structure of a just city state, with a Guardian class to act as its leaders and protectors. It is not until book 8 that Plato addresses the matter of different systems of rule. He says that there is a natural progression, through aristocracy, timocracy, oligarchy, democracy, and finally, to tyranny. He rejects each of these structures as being undesirable. It is not controversial to say, as Susan Moller does, that “The Republic is an extremely radical dialogue” (Philosopher Queens, 346). From a modern perspective, it may seem most unsettling to wonder why one of the …show more content…

That good is “freedom... the glory of the democratic state”(The Republic, Plato). Democracy emphasizes maximum freedom and personal liberty, but Plato imagines that this leads to a kind of anarchy with “subjects who are like rulers and rulers who are like subjects” (The Republic, Plato). Plato fears a breakdown of the natural order of society, a corruption in the hierarchy upon which Athenian society was based. Then this “anarchy finds its way into private houses” (The Republic, Plato), with sons disobeying fathers and slaves turning against their masters. Society as a whole will strive for the extremes of liberty; freedom of slaves, and the liberty and equality of the

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