The Virtue Of Ancient Athenian Democracy

Ancient Greece is honored in history for its democratic ideals and their foundational philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. However, Greek philosopher Plato was very opposed to the way ancient Athenian democracy was operated. Plato has many arguments in opposition to democracy, and in fact felt that aristocracy was the best form of government. Plato's criticisms of different forms of government go so far that he imagines an ideal city which operated in his ideal form of government. This ideal city is called Callipolis. Plato argues that democracy is an ineffective form of government because it allows for unqualified people to rule a government. Callipolis is the most just, and ideal city to Plato because it would be ruled by

The democracy of ancient Athens was extremely different from what we consider to be a democracy today. Today, in the United States and in many other nations, a representative democracy is the form of government in place. In ancient Athens, democracy went so far that professional judges and prosecutors did not exist. Ordinary citizens were responsible for acting as jurors and judges and deciding on the ultimate outcome of a trial. Socrates, the mentor of Plato, was a philosopher in ancient Athens. Socrates was put on trial for corrupting the youth of Athens and for impiety. The people of Athens sentenced him to death for his teachings. His execution confirms that oftentimes, democracy and the will of the common people can lead to unjust decisions. In The Apology, Socrates states to the jury: “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”. Although there was a democracy in Athens, this did not guarantee freedom of speech or even freedom of opinion, Socrates was sentenced to death simply for upsetting people with his words. Socrates believed that in order to survive in ancient Athens, someone

Plato's ideal city of Callipolis, and the "justice" which exists in this city is only made possible through the strict rules and regulations the rulers of this city would be responsible for implementing. The goal of this city is for everyone to fulfill their role, and not interfere with others. However, this is impossible without a series of conditions that are difficult to meet. The minds of everyone in this city would need to be kept pure by abolishing certain literature that does not promote Plato's ideals, a “noble lie “to ensure that no one rebels against their social class, and a strict education system. Callipolis would also rely on the use of eugenics, arranged breeding, and the abolishment of the nuclear family. Perhaps most importantly, the leaders of the city would need to be kept 100% uncorrupt because there is no system in place to keep those in power from abusing their power. Plato's perfect City would only be possible if it were possible to make human beings