Adding to the above just brought up Plato based on his description of how forms of government seem to involve and more important how the leading part of a person's soul and for that matter society as a whole seem to progress and which he probably just limited himself to describe based on what he observed. Plato is a writer that needs to be understood and politics is really not his main goal and as we have seen in recent history it is a really dangerous thing for a group of idealists to try to apply their ideals with a ruler and a square in the real world. Plato certainly doesn't seem to come from that perspective as he always expressed the opinion this world is not ideal nor passible to be made to be.
Good post, thanks.
Although I've always though his views on government are a smidge unrealistic, ,I think his views on democracy are right; I consider 'democracy' to be a one word oxymoron.
Yeah, weird. However, I've heard people claim modern democracy is based on greek (Athenian) democracy. It ain't. The kind of democracy people like the ideal ,has never existed, up to and including now.
Athenian democracy may perhaps be more accurately described as 'rule by referendum' ( like the Californian system, but more extensive) Less than 1/3 of the adult Athenian populations could vote ,as women and slaves were excluded.
I agree with Churchill's low opinion of the average voter. Here we call the votes of most people 'the donkey vote'.That means the people who choose a party when they start to vote, and vote for that party regardless for the rest of their lives. In Australia, we have compulsory voting with a 98% turnout. In every election, power is decided by the' swinging voters',like me. We make up between 3-6% of the total vote,.
Me? I voter for the least offensive bunch of venal incompetents on offer. So far, in 50 years of voting, that has always been the Labor Party in the lower house .and the Greens or an independent in the Senate. I don't like having the same party in control of both houses. It happens from time-to-time, and trends to be a disaster, as any and all government legislation is passed without serious scrutiny and without amendments.
I've also noticed some basic differences between Parliamentary Democracy such as that in UK, Canada and Australia and the Republican style of Democracy of the US.
This is my perception,I may well be completely wrong: My perception is that US democracy places perhaps its strongest emphasis on the rights of the individual. The emphasis of parliamentary democracy seems to be on equality. Interesting, but moot; the democracy that many people think they enjoy, does not and has never existed.. BUT,.BUT, BUT no matter how imperfect I'm very content as a citizen of Australia, and would never willingly swap with say the US. Canada, perhaps, UK, not on a bet