at are thecredentials for voting? Who decides on the credentials? Who decideswho decides on the credentials? Philosophers? Who decides whichpeople are fit to be philosophers? Who educates the philosophers to beable to tell who would make a good voter and who would not? All people may not be created equal, but if all people are going to beaffected by the laws, all people should have an opportunity to decide onthem, and all people should be protected by them. The whole point of agovernment is to take care of its people. According to Lord Macaulay,That is the best government which desires to make the people happy,and knows how to make them happy (Macaulay, 231). Michael Davis, in his book The Politics of Philosophy, explains thatthe best way to ensure a well run city is to make sure all of the citizens inthe city are given equal say in the way it is governed. He uses MalcolmXs famous saying in that a group of oppressed people will not stayoppressed forever, and that the best way for a government to stay stableis to listen to the majority with respect for the minorities. (Davis, 55-57)In conclusion, while Socrates offers good criticisms of democracy, hedoes not defend them very well, and he offers us no plausible alternative. He claims that democracy is one of the worst regimes, yet it wasdemocracy which allowed him to criticize the very system he was takingadvantage. I think the best argument for democracy is the failure of otherrepressive governments such as the collapse of communism in theSoviet Union, The French monarchy, Britains colonial rule here inAmerica, and Fascism in Germany. Perhaps if these governments hadallowed for liberty, equality, and a majority rule, they would still be inexistence today....
