Platos Criticism of Democracy Essay - 897 Words

Platos Criticism of Democracy Plato, having defined his perfect society, now seeks to compare contemporary imperfect societies with his ideal standard. He initially criticises the imperfect society as a whole, before leading onto a criticism of any given individual within that society; the imperfect character. He has already dealt with the Oligarchic society and character and now moves onto Democracy and the democratic character. Plato states that the Oligarchy, where the ultimate desire is for wealth and character governs emotions without reason, will ultimately collapse and become a Democracy. The lower, drone class are exploited by the avaricious oligarchic class: this leads the drones into discontent, and they plot against†¦show more content†¦This variety and colour may catch the attention of those who have little understanding of important matters (Plato uses the example of women and children to illustrate his point). However, this lack of order does not encourage the development of well-balanced c haracters, as Plato demonstrates. Platonic psychology supports the view that any mind should be made up of three hierarchical levels: the desires and emotions being the lowest tier; the character, as decided by upbringing occupies the intermediate tier; and reason is at the top of the hierarchy. Plato further divides the desires into two categories: the necessary, acquisitive desires (i.e., those that benefit us and are essential to life) and the unnecessary, wasteful desires (i.e., those that harm us physically or mentally and can be controlled). With the Oligarchic psyche, the character governs the emotions but without any reason behind it, i.e., the Oligarchic character balances his desires in order to gain the greatest wealth, but he does not really know why he does this. He is driven by motives hidden to him. Plato bases his description of the transition from the Oligarchic mindset to the Democratic mindset upon this psychological theory. The Oligarch is brought up in [a] narro w economical way and at some point he comes into contact with the drone element and their honey of various and refined pleasures. Since he has no rational reason for the suppression of these desires, they grow in strength:Show MoreRelated Platos Criticism of Democracy Essay1697 Words   |  7 PagesPlatos Criticism of Democracy 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. (Apology 31e-32a) These are the words of Socrates, who spoke before the Athenian jury in the trial that would, ultimately, condemn him to his death. ThroughRead MoreDo Not Be Angry With Me For Speaking Th1627 Words   |  7 PagesRepublic, we can see Plato’s distaste of the concept of democracy. Why does he consider democracy to be so flawed? Let us look through his own eyes and see what his individual criticisms are, and determine if the very concept of democracy is as flawed as he believes it to be. One of the contemporary definitions of democracy today is as follows: â€Å"Government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives; Rule by the majority† (â€Å"Democracy† Def.1,4). Democracy, as a form of governmentRead MorePlato s Republic : A Political Leader Is The Greatest Way Have A Successful Political Rule997 Words   |  4 Pagesbook one of Plato’s Republic, Socrates states that â€Å"no one, in any position of rule, to the extent that he is a ruler, considers or enjoins what is advantageous for himself, but what is advantageous for his subject - that on which he practices his craft.† According to Plato, treating political rule as a craft with master craftsmen in power is the greatest way have a successful political rule. This idea is pessimistic when viewed in terms of a democratic society, as a true democracy places a valueRead MorePlato Was An Ancient Greek Philosopher Essay1698 Words   |  7 Pagesexplains t his in his Seventh Letter, and tells of after the revolution, the government put in charge, being friends and family of his, called on him to join them. He believed they would turn their unjust city just however, this was not the case and in Plato’s words ‘I saw that these men make the former constitution seem like a golden age by comparison’ This new power sought to involve Socrates in their unholy expeditions, irrespective of whether or not he wished it, this lead to Socrates putting himselfRead MorePlatos The Republic1054 Words   |  4 Pages In Plato’s The Republic, the theory of appointing a ruling class is a major aspect in his political theory of a just state. As communicated through Socrates, Plato believed in the appointment of only a few citizens of the just city that possess a soul that craves all truth, knowledge, wisdom, and through proper education are competent enough to rule the just state and to decide on legislative policies. In my paper, I will be arguing against Plato’s political theory of who is best fit to be chosenRead MorePower, Authority And Power And The Views Of The State1388 Words   |  6 Pagespolitical theories of the state that were very different. The essay will look to cover their theories as well as definitions, strengths and weaknesses on democracy, authority and power and the views of JS Mill and Plato, giving their thoughts, ideas and styles. The researcher will also apply these definitions of authority and democracy to both Mill’s and Plato’s theories of th e state. Heywood tells us that authority is, in the broadest sense of the word, a form of power which can be thought of as ‘legitimateRead MoreAnalysis Of Gorgias Encomium Of Helen, Isocrates, And Plato s Gorgias1316 Words   |  6 Pagesphilosophical works, I will provide the basic understanding of the importance of the development of rhetoric and how it’s foundation has set the precedent for the future. In this paper I intend to explore, Gorgias Encomium of Helen, Isocrates, and Plato’s Gorgias, to provide evidence that there is an exigence in the understanding of rhetoric. It is necessary for understanding rhetoric in order to understand rhetoric’s greater implications on today’s society in comparison to ancient Greece. InventionRead MoreEssay on Platos Republic981 Words   |  4 PagesPlatos Republic Plato, one of the most ingenious and powerful thinkers in Western philosophy, born around 425 B.C. Plato investigated a wide range of topics. Dominant among his ideas is an immense discourse called The Republic. The main focus of Plato is a perfect society. He outlines a utopian society, out of his disapproval for the tension of political life. Plato lived through the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC), in which much of Greece was devastated. This created poverty and political confusionRead MoreAnalysis Of Encomium Of Helen, Dissoi Logoi, And Plato s Gorgias1541 Words   |  7 Pagesphilosophical works, I will provide the basic understanding of the importance of the development of rhetoric and how it’s foundation has set the precedent for the future. In this paper I intend to explore, Gorgias Encomium of Helen, Dissoi Logoi, and Plato’s Gorgias, to provide evidence that there is an exigence in the understanding of rhetoric. It is vital and necessary to understand rhetoric , so that we can understand rhetoric’s greater implications on today’s society. Invention of rhetoric, a contributorRead Moreâ€Å"A Truly Just City?† Essay701 Words   |  3 Pagesjustified way of governing a city. Fundamentally, the rulers are driven by specific appetites and virtues, that develop a cycle of ruling between the stages of aristocracy, timocracy, oligarchy, democracy and eventually a tyranny. This structural chain, is significant in demonstrating the center of Plato’s argument, this it is always better to be just than unjust. Socrates’ main backbone to this fictional city is the importance of education. In order too be truly just, you are to pursue what

Shakespeare s King Lear Essay Power Of Honesty

Mathew Larosiliere King Lear essay Dr K The Power of Honesty Shakespeare s King Lear is a play that follows Lear, the aging king of Britain, as he decides to step down from the throne and divide his kingdom evenly among his three daughters. Lear and a handful of other characters encounter many obstacles throughout the story. This play highlights human nature at its highest and lowest. Characters such as Edmund, Regan, and Goneril illustrate the ugliness and horror of man’s persona. While characters such as Cordelia, Edgar, and Kent show the noble, heroic, and moral nature of man. In the beginning, both Goneril and Regan appear to be conscientious and reasonable people. However, this quickly changes when they trick their father into believing that they truly love him. There is little good to be said for Lear’s elder daughters, who are largely indistinguishable in their villainy and spite. Goneril and Regan are clever—or, at least, clever enough to flatter their father in the play’s opening scene—and, early in the play, their bad behavior toward Lear seems matched by his own pride and temper. They prove that man is no better than a beast because they lack the virtues needed to be compassionate, loving human beings. Honesty is the most important character trait that anyone should have. Honesty refers to a facet of moral character and connotes positive and virtuous attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, andShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s Much Ado About Nothing And King Lear3685 Words   |  15 PagesNothing† and †Å"King Lear Introduction Shakespeare is seen to value the role of women as his plays often portray women as heroines. These women have strong characters that endear them to readers. Readers in our current world, and especially women, are encouraged to be self-assertive in demand for equal treatment in our society. This has been the tradition for women in the Western world and is one that should be spread across all societies in the whole world. The characters that this essay chooses toRead MoreExpo5600 Words   |  23 Pagesaudiences can come to some general agreement on what the play is about, provided that they can offer answers to the two major questions of understanding that the play poses. These answers, it need hardly be said, cannot be precise and absolute, since Shakespeare s plays, like life, never allow us the delusion of perfect understanding. Nevertheless, we do need to decide what we are invited to think and feel about Macbeth and what he does. In particular, we have to consider why he acts as he does; why, inRead More Edward Ii - To What Extent Is Edward Responsible For His Own2078 Words   |  9 Pages‘Edward II plantagenet King of England, Whose incompetence and distaste for government finally led to His deposition and murder.’ The Elizabethan drama, Christopher Marlowe’s, Edward the Second is, according to Aristotle’s definition of the word, a tragedy. That is to say it concerns the fall of a great man because of a mistake he has made or a flaw in his character. During this essay I will demonstrate how this definition of tragedy applies to Edward II. Edward II was king of England, and reigned

Spain Rise and Fall Free Essays

Before the 16th century, Spain was not recognized as a legitimate powerhouse in Europe. They were known as a very strong Catholic orientated country located in the Iberian Peninsula north of Morocco. However, in the matter of a span of little over a hundred years, Spain obtained a great amount of wealth and power through conquests and inheritance from the king. We will write a custom essay sample on Spain Rise and Fall or any similar topic only for you Order Now Just as they were the greatest empire in the world, it fell apart and soon declined into the status of a third-rate power in Europe. King Charles V of Spain inherited many lands of Europe because of his family background. In 1506, he had obtained the Burgundain Lands, which included the Low Countries and Flanders. He was also the grandson of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, the great two Spanish monarchs from the late 15th century. In 1516, he became the first monarch to rule a united Spain. He was not done yet. In 1519 he was granted the Habsburg domains in Austria. Not only that, but in 1530 he was named Holy Roman Emperor. This meant that Charles V has control over the three leading dynasties of Europe at the time- the House of Habsburg of the Habsburg Monarchy, the House of Valois-Burgundy house of the Burgundian Netherlands, and the House of Trastamara of the Crowns of Castile and Aragon. This meant in Europe Charles V had control completly over the Central, Western, and Southern lands. No other monarch in Europe had as much land as Charles V had in the European continent. Not only did he have that land, but also from the Spanish conquests in the Americas and Asia, Charles V had the first global empire in the world. His empire became very rich and powerful from those conquests and imported goods they received from those places. The Columbian Exchange was the exchange of plants and animals from the Old World and the New World in which Spain and other empires successfully benefited from. From 1493, Columbus introduced horses, cattle, sheep, dogs, pigs, chicken, and goats. The rate at which these animals grew were spectacular, thus leading to more food for the Spanish population which gave them a population increase and more money flowing in because of the extra meats. Not only that, but Spain brought back maize from Mexico, white potatoes from Peru, and various beans, squash, pumpkins, avocados, and tomatoes. Maize was a great gift for the Spanish because it was used as food for all peoples and livestock of the world. Since it gave a high yield per unit of land and a short growing season, it proved to be an especially important cash crop for them. The discovery of silver in the Americas was what really established Spain as the economic powerhouse of the world. In 1545, the Spanish discovered an enormous amount of silver in the city of Potosi. When it was discovered, no one lived in Potosi. By 1600 however, 160,000 people lived there. This made it about the size of the city of London at the time. Potosi yielded about 60 percent of all the world’s silver mined in the world and made Spain very powerful and oh so rich once again. Another way the Spanish became successfully rich was from the slave trade. Their slave system was called the encomienda system, which was a legal form of slavery there. The Crown gave permission the conquerors the right to employ groups of Amerindians as agricultural or mining laborers. However as soon as the rapid decline of Amerindian population followed, the Spanish turned to the black slaves of Africa. This started what soon called the Triangular Trade route. The ships were crammed and packed with hundreds of captives in the boats in order for them to increase profits because the more slaves you had alive in your ship, the more money you received. However, the dominance of Spain proved to be temporary and short lived. Through the result of all the increase of the amount of food and land, it was no surprise that the population experienced a steady increase. This also created a sharp rise in the demand of foods and goods throughout the empire. Since Spain had removed their best farmers and businessmen- the Muslims and the Jews- in the fifteenth century, the economy was suffering greatly and could not meet the new demands, so prices rose. As well as that, the cost of manufacturing cloth and other goods increased, and Spanish products were not able to compete with cheaper products made elsewhere in the international market. King Charles V was no longer king of Spain by 1556 because he was tired from he long decades of ruling the vast empire. Through his reign he spent time warring with the French and the Ottoman Empire throughout his reign. He also spent his time devoting his time to stamp out the Protestant Reformation. Thus, the throne was passed down to his son Phillip II. The main event and problem that crucially hit the Spanish Empire was the â€Å"British problem. † On 1586 Mary, Queen of Scots who was the cousin and heir of E lizabeth, became involved in a plot to assassinate her. This was for the hope for England to reunite with Catholic Europe. Phillip fully supported the plot. Not long after, Mary was discovered and was beheaded on February 18, 1587. Phillip soon heard of the news and went after to conquer England. Conquering England promised the additional benefit of cutting off financial support to Dutch rebels since Spain was in a bitter war with the Dutch at the time. Phillip’s strategy was to prepare a vast fleet to sail from Lisbon to Flanders. They would fight off Elizabeth’s navy if needed, rendezvous with the duke of Parma, and escort barges carrying Parma’s troops across the English Channel. On May 9, 1588 Phillip’s fleet of 130 set sail from the Lisbon harbor. The fleet was part of the great Spanish Armada. The Armada met an English fleet in the Channel. The English ships were smaller but faster, allowing more maneuverability in the water. Many of the ships had greater firing power than the Armada ships. The combination of storms, spoiled food and rank water, lacking ammunition, and the scattering of the Spanish ships from the English fire ships gave England victory. The Armada was defeated even before they reached the Netherlands. On the way back, many other ships went down near Ireland and about 65 of the ships were able to make it back home. The defeat of the Armada prevented Phillip II from re-imposing religious unity on Western Europe by force. He unfortunately did not conquer England, and Elizabeth continued with her financial and military support of the Dutch. In 1609, Phillip III of Spain (r. 1598-1621) agreed to a truce. This truce recognized the independence of the United Provinces. In the seventeenth-century, memory of the loss of the Spanish Armada contributed to a spirit of defeatism. It was all set and done in little over a century. Spain had completed its epic collapse from being the global empire of the world, to now being a third-rate power in the seventeenth-century. Spain obtained a great amount of wealth and power through conquests and inheritance from the king in the sixteenth-century. Just as they were the greatest empire in the world, it all fell apart and soon declined into the status of a third-rate power in Europe. In all, we can see how things can quickly change from being outstanding to disastrous. How to cite Spain Rise and Fall, Essay examples

Wild Saxophone by Stray Cats free essay sample

The Stray Cats were a rockabilly band formed in 1980, but they have a timeless sound. Their song â€Å"Wild Saxophone† is actually their version of an older song called â€Å"That Mellow Saxophone,† but the Stray Cats have made if their own with their distinctive style. In the beginning, the drums set the tempo, then the familiar bass and guitar come in. Lee Rocker on the bass is always fun to listen to because his sound is so percussive; he slaps the strings, pulls hard, and has precise articulations. On guitar, Brian Setzer can always be recognized for his rockabilly twang and use of chords that aren’t just straightforward major chords. It gives his sound more depth. Together, the three musicians produce their own unique sound. The saxophones that come in with the guitar are unbelievably tight and have the perfect amount of darkness in their sound. Their articulations are strong and they hit each note together every time. We will write a custom essay sample on Wild Saxophone by Stray Cats or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In part, the darker tone of this song that differs from most other Stray Cats tunes comes from the roughness of the saxophone on solo. The saxophone player blends low, growling notes with notes from higher octaves, keeping the solo interesting. After the saxophone feature comes Setzer on guitar. The song drops in volume, and he comes in with just a few longer notes in the lower octave interspersed with some faster runs. It quickly builds to faster notes in both the higher and lower octaves. Mixing up the business of the solo keeps listeners gripped, not knowing what to expect but loving every note as it comes. It is this ability that makes Setzer such a great guitar player. Though the Stray Cats are no longer a band, their music has lived on through the years. â€Å"Wild Saxophone† is a song that shows off the full potential of the band through their use of range in solos, their tight articulations, and their ability to keep true to their pure rockabilly style.