Plato's Views on Democracy and Expertise: A Critical Evaluation

This article critiques Plato's views on democracy and public opinion in modern times. The author analyses Plato's arguments against democracy and public opinion and presents a counterargument based on modern democratic frameworks. The main thesis presented is that the failures of democracy and public opinion stated by Plato are superfluous at best when compared to the way modern democratic frameworks operate in society. The article provides a detailed summarisation and assessment of Plato's views on public administration and the role of the state.

Article Critique
Project Politics and
Ethics

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................1
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................3

INTRODUCTION
The ancient views that major philosophers of Greek orientation had when it came to respecting
the role of people of political affairs and actually working for their collective interest is very
different from the way in which modern democracy functions as we see it today (Song, 2018)
(Doorenspleet, 2019). This report will critically evaluate an article titled “Plato on democracy
and expertise” in which the popular philosophical approach and theories of Plato and Socrates
are contrasted and critiqued based on the modernised approach to public oriented politics. This
report will include a thesis statement identification along with a detailed summarisation and
assessment.
MAIN BODY
Thesis
The author in this article went into detail in analysing the views of popular Greek
philosophers and presents a view through ancient history in terms of politics. The main thesis
which the author has presented forward is that “the failures of democracy and public opinion
stated by Plato are superfluous at best when compared to the way modern democratic
frameworks operate in society”. The author through this article aims to first breakdown the
arguments against democracy and public opinion made by Plato in some of his poplar works
such as Gorgias (Kushwaha, 2020). Major points were then dissected and analysed in a
modernized context such as the emphasis on the argument that satisfying the desires of people is
not an endeavour which can be respected or called a skilful art which has many loopholes
according to modern logic.
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Summarisation
The main point of views which the author has put forward in this article revolves around
the reasons as to why Plato and to a certain extent, do not advocate for the political systems to
consult the opinion of people which is the fabric which upholds modern democracy. Plato argues
that public systems and occupations which cater to the satisfaction of public desire are
troublesome, dirty and involve no skill. He further states that in a state ruled by philosophers
which know what is objectively right for the public do not need to consult the citizens in matters
of the state. The author has critiqued these arguments swiftly in the article stating that the views
of Plato do not uphold in modern times as there is major skill involved in satisfying people and
by relating objectivity to matters concerning the wellbeing of people is a foolish and deluded
concept in and of itself (D’Angour, 2019).
Assessment of article
The author has supported his thesis by finding loopholes and aiming to counterargument
the major points which were championed by Plato and the cabal of Greek philosophers in the
past by critically evaluating this writing and the way in which he viewed public administration.
The author has also lent argumentative weight to his critique of the views on democracy held by
Plato by analysing his works such as Gorgias wherein the major thought which guided Plato was
critiqued in detail as he attributed the satisfaction of the desires of the people as something
wasteful and deemed it as non-skilful. The author tried to critique this line of thought by stating
that satisfying public desire is a skilful endeavour but did not go into major detail to completely
dissect this argument put worth by Plato. The author could have stated that differences in public
opinion have to be accounted for at every step of administration which is why professionals such
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as cooks displayed a similar level of skill as to a doctor or somebody practicing medicine.
Similarly, the author also critiqued the approach of Plato towards public administration which
involved treating the wellbeing of the citizens to absolute reasoning which the author termed as a
fallacy. The author supports his thesis here by pointing out the writings in the Republic in which
Plato’s reasoning is called into question with the author drawing great examples such as
dynamics between a doctor and patient being linked to public administration (Chappell, 2022).
Furthermore, the author went into great detail stating that Plato’s views stem from being exposed
to seeing and experiencing ignorant democracy rather than the concept of democracy itself. He
supported this thought by referencing both Gorgias and Republic and put emphasis on modern
democracies being well-informed and public involvement in decision making a positive aspect of
societal functioning. Despite limiting hiss cope of critique in various passages of the article, the
author overall supported his thesis in a decent manner.
CONCLUSION
The overall summation of this article can be termed as holistic and a very informative
reading for students of politics and ethics as it provides a stark contrast and critique of the views
held of philosophers such as Plato on democracy compared to modern societies. By reading this
article, the knowledge regarding both politics and associated ethical dilemmas will get boosted as
the reasoning and thoughts presented by the author personally and of Plato are rigorously
intellectual. Through reading this article, students and appreciators of politics and public
administration can learn about public decision making, the role of the state and the differences
between an ignorant and a well-informed democracy.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Chappell, C.S.G., 2022. The Plato Reader. In The Plato Reader. Edinburgh University Press.
D’Angour, A., 2019. Socrates in Love: The Making of a Philosopher. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Doorenspleet, R., 2019. Rethinking the value of democracy: A comparative perspective. Cham:
Palgrave Macmillan.
Kushwaha, B., 2020. Democracy: In Need Of Relative Improvement. Der Donauraum, 60(4),
pp.89-104.
Song, S., 2018. Immigration and democracy. Oxford University Press.
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