Plato Flashcards
Who should rule?
- The “people” - they represent the state
- The elderly - they hold traditional and cultural knowledge
- The King / Queen - chosen by God
- The elected
- The Party
- The algorithm
Plato says: let the experts rule
Plato on expert rule
Founder of “The Academy” (school aimed to teach young men about philosophy)
Typology (Aristotle)
Virtuous state:
- Ruled by one: King
- Few = Aristocracy
- Many = Politeia
Corrupted state:
- one= Tyrant
- few= oligarchy
- many = democracy
Typology (Polybius)
Virtuous state:
- one= king
- few= aristocracy
- many= democracy
corrupted state:
- one = tyrant
- few= oligarchy
- many= mob
“Ship of state” analogy meanings
- Struggle for power among unqualified individuals who reject the idea that leadership requires expertise.
- They eliminate opposition to seize control, exploiting those who should rightfully govern.
- Once in power, they prioritise self-interests instead of good leadership.
“Ship of state” analogy interpretations
In a democracy, the shipowners (people) are manipulated by the politicians (sailors.
The politicians get their way with pretending that they are qualified individuals to rule (but they lack it) so and the real issue lies in the fact that they have followers who respect them.
Plato’s critique of popular democracy
- Democracy relies on empirical facts and predictions about how direct democracies should look like and how leaders should behave.
- In politics, experts should rule (‘natural aristocracy’)
Aristotle’s life
- Plato’s student (and one of his critic)
- Most important European thinker of the Middle Ages
Aristotle on Sortition / Lottery
- Critique of the main assumption of democracy that people are equal.
- As states grew, it became logical that not everyone had the knowledge to govern, so he proposed that lottery was the best option.
Sortition / lottery = process of selecting officials (equal and fair option).
