s as “tyranny.” Plato’s system of democracy in The Republic is much different than what we know of today as democracy, but the foundation is there, and we know that his system would inevitably lead to chaos, as it is indeed anarchy. But, as we see in Hitler’s Germany, McCarthyite America, and Plato’s idea of democracy-tyranny, we also know that whenever there is a ruling class we must question if it is truly for the good of the people.Still discussing the foundations of Plato’s democratic system, we see that Plato concluded that most people do not maintain the ability to assemble the difficult and necessary decisions that would result in a just society. He says, “The average person lacks wisdom and self-restraint”(The Republic). This means that Plato would argue that participating in politics, and the exercise of political powers was a skilled profession as any other. “[They must be] full of zeal to do whatever they believe is for the good of the commonwealth and never willing to act against its interest. They must be capable of possessing this connection, never forgetting it or allowing themselves to be either forced or bewitched into throwing it over”(The Republic). Through his writing in “The Republic”, we see that Plato believed one must not only learn how to rule, but it is a quality inherent to the character, acknowledging that this dominant part of a person is within their soul. In his book, “The Great Political Theories: Volume I”, Michael Curtis discusses this idea presented by Plato…”The three elements to the soul –appetite, courage, and reason- were related to class and to function in the state. If appetite, or the satisfaction of physical desires, dominated, the individual would be in the laboring class, if it was spirit or courage, he would be a warrior, if it was reason, or the faculty of possessing true knowledg...
