Defenses for Democracy Essay -- Papers Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Defenses for DemocracyIs liberty a bad thing? Socrates seemed to think so. In Book VIIIof Platos Republic, Socrates criticizes land by contend terzetto ofits most important aspects liberty, equality, and majority rule. Heasserts that because of these things, a democratic city will always fallinto tyranny. I disagree, and feel that all three of the principles areessential to a fair and just city, and only in their absence can a city betaken into tyranny. Socrates begins his observations on the defects of a democraticgovernment by first attacking liberty. His main argument is that there isentirely too much of it. People in a democracy are free to do what theywish in their lives and are free to chose what if any job they will do. Socrates asks if, like the man with the democratic soul, they will non just pass the time and not get much done (Plato, 557e). This may be true, but people who do not work do not eat. InSocrates city, much like in a communist regime, all of the p eople in acity are responsible for the putting green good of all of the other members oftheir city. A man who does nothing would truly be a burden on thissociety, but unlike in Socrates city, or a communist state, in a capitalistdemocracy people are responsible for their own survival, and a manmust work if he is to have a food, shelter, and all of the othernecessities of life.When describing his just city, Socrates was very much in favor ofspecialization of labor (Plato, 367e-372b), so for a man to effort many an(prenominal)things would go against his concept of what belongs in a good city. ButShouldn?t one try one?s hand at many tasks until one find a job that bestfulfills one?s soul? In Alienated Labor, Ka... ...ey would still be inexistence today.BibliographyDavis, Michael. The political sympathies of Philosophy. London Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1996Hamilton, Alexander. Constitutional Convention Address. Constitutional Convention, Philadelphia. 29 Jul. 1787 Du rant, Will. The Story of Philosophy. New York Simon and Schuster,1961Guigon, Charles, ed. The Good Life. Cambridge Hackett PublishingCompany, 1999Kennedy, John F. Speech at San Diego State College. San DiegoState College, San Diego. 06 Jun. 1963Macaulay, doubting Thomas Babbington Ed. Scott, Allan. The Works of Thomas Babbington Macaulay. London Wordsworth Poetry Library, 1995Marx, Karl. Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts. Germany 1844Plato, Ed. Allan Bloom. Republic. USA Basic Books, 1991Spooner, Lysander. An Essay on the Trial By Jury. London 1852