Definitely not advocating for communism or anything. But, it seems even Socrates had reservations about democracy during its formative stages, in ancient Greece. His concern was that unless the education of the people kept up, folks were more likely to vote for what was politically expedient as opposed to giving thought to what was actually-good-for-them, long term. Enter the demagogues, who offer you candy over the bitter medicine we sometimes need to take. A really nice video that makes us think about our current political landscapes (regardless of what country you're in). Enjoy!
---------
**As always, here on Spiked, kindly give some stars if you like it (... vote even if you don't). ;-)
(8 votes)
Comments
(Long Spike)
The republic is a good read
(Site Administrator)
Sure! But that's from Socrates's prize pupil, Plato.
(Short Spike)
http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/republic.html
(Long Spike)
Can’t upvote cuz it just clicks on link .
Consider this a thank you!
(Site Administrator)
If you're on your phone, try holding horizontal.
(Short Spike)
I've figured this out a long time ago. Democracy is flawed is definitely is definitely not an utopia. The problem is that I can't think of another system that is better for the ultimate well-being, development and respecting the human rights of the population.
(Site Administrator)
Agree! But as Socrates noted, the education of the people has to keep up, to ensure they give proper consideration to the issues (and people) being voted on. The way I read it, we should all be a bit more vocal in opposing any proposed cutbacks or restrictions on access to education.
(Short Spike)
Education helps, but a lot of people are and always will be dumb and gullible. The vast majority of political dialogues speaks to them.
(Short Spike)
The integrety of a democracy is dependent upon the integrity of its education.