Winston Churchill complained that democracy is the worst possible form of government, except for all the others. The vision of free citizens governing themselves by electing the best and the brightest people among them as representatives is one of the best ideas that the human race has ever had. But it may be no more than a distant promise, like the notion that wealth will one day trickle down, or that the check will one day be in the mail. The results of democracy are usually disappointing – especially in the fact that the chosen representatives so seldom turn out to be the best and the brightest. "Politics is the art of running the circus from inside the monkey cage," wrote H.L. Mencken – and a lot of people agree.
Public cynicism about politics and politicians is at an all-time high. About half of all citizens just don't bother to vote, and there’s no question that the system does have problems – and not just the obvious problems of campaign contributions, corruption, and two almost identical parties. Plato suggested one big problem 2,500 years ago, when he labeled democracy as "Rule by the appetites." Plato argued that democracy gives us so many choices that the system inevitably drifts towards excess, mediocrity, instability, decadence, and dictatorship.
Of course Plato was an ancient Greek with authoritarian instincts who lived in the very first age of democracy, which didn't last long. In terms of his own chaotic era and the Athenian political system, he was proved to be absolutely right. And he may even have something to say to us, sophisticated and modern as we are, as the midterms approach.
Plato's argument, in a nutshell, is that the first principle of democracy is freedom so that, in a democracy, anything that limits personal freedom, is resented. Nobody likes restrictions, and nobody loves authority. So, politicians pander to popular whims, teachers are scared of their pupils, and parents become like children themselves to avoid the responsibility for disciplining their offspring. Nobody can clearly tell right from wrong, or even wants to admit that there are such things. All standards are progressively abolished in the name of individual freedom. Random violence occurs but, because freedom is so important, nothing much can be done about it. Citizens become disillusioned with politics, and stop participating. Eventually, democracy falls apart and the dictator moves in.
Don't blame me – I'm just quoting Plato. But if we are living in his last stage of democracy, the age of appetites, there is some good news. Plato gave it as his opinion that this is the most enjoyable time to be alive, simply because we have so much personal freedom, and so much stuff. The main thing is to save our fragile system from moving on to the next stage of his cycle, the age of tyranny.
These grand theories of politics from ancient times are always interesting. They help to put things in perspective. But actions speak louder than theories. A big turnout of voters next month won't necessarily prove that Plato was wrong. But a massive display of indifference may well suggest that the old curmudgeon was right.
Copyright: David Bouchier
