Extended Essays 2021

Plato: Democracy Begets Tyranny

Throughout Plato’s Republic , he develops his anti-despotic argument. 12 Plato prioritises

knowledge of what is good for the state over what is good for political argument and good for

the individual (hence the construction of the ideal state). For Plato, the ‘just’ state is achieved

through a class system where individuals fulfil their primary function and attain individual

‘eudaimonia’ (good life) as a means to a just state that functions harmoniously like the

‘tripartite soul’ . 13

Plato utilises dialogues, allegories and analogies to develop his argument. In Book IV, Plato

highlights an issue within democracy, in tha t citizen’s voting can be “whimsical”, for a non-

democratic polis, “hysterical” and “inconsistent” . 14 He argues through the ship’s captain

analogy in Book VI that democracy is rule by the ignorant. To Plato, democratic leadership is

corrupted by increasing desire for luxuries and later on notes that “the [many] citizens don’t

understand the [few] experts with knowledge” via his allegory of the Cave in book VIII . 15

Concomitantly, Plato attacks democracy and condemns “dictatorship naturally arises out of

democracy, and the most aggravated form of tyranny and slavery out of the most extreme

liberty”. In one of Plato’s dialogues Gorgias , he asserts that the best way to gain power in

Athens’ democracy is by intimidating the people . 16 In correlation to Trump’s supporters

12 Anti-Despotic Argument - Though he does not entirely object to democracy, he argues it is inferior compared to other forms of government such as monarchy and oligarchy. According to Plato, democracy undermines the proficiency to govern a society and citizens are guided by manipulative politicians, resulting in poorly worked out ideas. 13 Tripartite soul – Plato’s idea that each person’s soul is divided into three parts which are balanced different within people. He defines the soul into the logical, spirited and appetitive part. 14 Plato. Plato's The Republic Book IV. New York: Books, Inc., 1943. 15 Plato. The Republic 16 Plato. Gorgias. Leipzig :Teubner, 1909.

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