Democracy is the rule of the people. Many examples of democracies exist in the world today and most people tend to think that a country ruled by a democracy is the most enlightened and good. But how successful are our modern democracies? Not completely is the answer, but is this because they don’t actually do what they set out to do or because of inherent flaws in the ideal of democracy? In Plato’s Republic Socrates sets out an alternative method of government – the meritocracy. Again this ideal has its practical problems, but how does the ideal compare to democracy?

I think that the major problem is that the masses have control without knowledge. This can get very dangerous for society as a whole. Without knowledge, the masses will make decisions based on their individual desires and wants which can eventually harm the whole community. For example, the populace may decide that they want a war. To please them and win votes the politicians increase military funding by

Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.

Although this is Plato’s ideal, many people would claim that in fact we are happier with a patchwork career that matches our interests than one arbitrarily selected for us. Unfortunately, being happy with your career isn’t the only thing to be taken into consideration. A career that serves only you and doesn’t benefit society as a whole is damaging to the community. If everyone follows this path, the group will fall apart.

In a democracy every individual shapes his own life in his own way. According to Plato this means that in a democracy there can be no unity. Although people may agree on some things, the kind of unity that you need for a truly efficient and good society, where everybody fulfils the role they are best suited to and which best serves society. Clearly this doesn’t happen in a democracy. In a democracy many people choose their careers like a pick’n’mix – a stint of teaching here and a dash of construction work before you help yourself to a large handful of politics. This is one of Plato’s biggest gripes. He feels that you should be given a balanced meal – the right work, the right education regardless of what you think yourself. In his ideal society, ruled by the philosopher kings, all individuals join together in a concerted whole to move forw

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