It is a bit ironic that we attribute our democratic ideals to the early Greeks when the most famous and enduring Greek philosophy comes from three men who were strident critics of democracy – Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. They associated democracy with the rule of the mob and generally aligned themselves with the aristocratic elite in their theories of government.
Their basic objection to democracy was that it gave too much power to uneducated people who were not capable of understanding the complex issues of government, economics and society. The mob could easily be led astray by demagogues and charlatans. Their allegiance could be bought or stolen easily and would lead to instability and frequent violent episodes.
Plato also recognized the inherent problems associated with aristocratic government, namely the potential for corruption and the motivation to line one’s own pockets first, so he came up with a proposal for a government led by philosopher-kings. The concept here was to create a super class of intellectuals who would be chosen at birth to lead the nation.
They would be separated from the general public and lead ascetic lives, living as single men in dormitories and never accumulating possessions or riches of any kind. They would be educated to an extremely high level, especially in philosophy, to enable them to analyze complex societal issues and make the best possible choices. Their spartan lifestyle and independence would make them uncorruptible and preclude them making decisions based on self-interest or class preference.
This type of ideal government has, of course, never seen the light of day. Every government in the history of humankind has been either led by the wealthy and powerful or by revolutionary zealots who soon become the wealthy and powerful. Indeed, in the USA it has become de rigueur for business tycoons to spend their way to higher office with an almost cartoonish combination of vanity and the hubris of the heroic job-creator.
In our current political environment, the anti-democratic spirit is alive and well, taking the form of stolen election accusations and voting restrictions. One can easily argue that the anti-democratic argument is at the very heart of our republic. Only property-owning white citizens could vote for the first 80 years or so. If you had polled the founders about voting rights, it is likely that most of them would have echoed Plato and his brethren in their distaste for a fully democratic government.
It is somewhat defensible to believe that ideally a certain level of education is important in making political decisions. But implementing any sort of policy to limit voting to so-called educated citizens is an unimaginably difficult task and is unlikely to be effective. So perhaps the real solution is to attempt to educate the masses rather than limit the vote.
If we are to avoid the negative aspects of universal suffrage – the demagoguery, the herd instinct and the mob mentality – then I would suggest the answer lies in a more cerebral approach to elections. By this I mean limiting election materials to written platform and policy statements, shortening the time period for campaigning, severely limiting campaign funds, using a great portion of funds to develop independent, non-partisan reviews of the issues, putting all negative portrayals of opponents through a non-partisan review before allowing them to be published, and staging separate candidate interviews on the issues (not debates) with questioning by recognized experts.
The chances of this happening are only slightly greater than the probability of the USA cultivating philosopher-kings, but one can dream, right?
I always gave credit to the Greeks for Democracy and had no idea. Overall I do believe better education is the key - but one of the greatest risks in that education is that supposedly independent bodies like the media are perceived as biased. Strangely educating the 'public' more goes against some of the ideas of shortening the time period for campaigning - maybe for campaigning but not for education - or using only written media.
ReplyDeleteA correction—only property-owning white MALE citizens could vote for the first 80 years or so—and an alternative view (one I agree with) regarding from whom we should seek guidance in our democracy, from Trevor Noah in his farewell speech on The Daily Show:
ReplyDelete"I've often been credited with having these grand ideas. People are like, 'Oh Trevor, you're so smart.' I'm like, 'Who do you think teaches me? Who do you think shaped me, nourished me and formed me?' From my mom, my gran, my aunt, all these Black women in my life.
“But then in America as well. I always tell people if you truly want to learn about America, talk to Black women. Because unlike everybody else, Black women can't afford to fuck around and find out. Black people understand how hard it is when things go bad, especially in America, but anyplace where Black people exist, whether it’s Brazil, whether it’s South Africa, wherever it is. If things go bad, Black people know that it gets worse for them. But Black women in particular? They know what shit is. Genuinely.
“People always be shocked, they be like, ‘Why do Black women turn out the way they do in America? Why do they vote the way--?’ Yeah, because they know what happens if things don’t go the way it should. They can’t afford to fuck around and find out.
“To Black women who have taught me, all of them, the scholars online, the authors, everybody, the Roxane Gays, the Tressie McMillan Cottoms … the Zoé Samudzis, brilliant, brilliant women, taking the time to inform me, to educate me, to argue with me. The Tarana Burkes who laughed with me, talking about everything from sexual assault to just what life is like.
“I'll tell you now, do yourself a favor: If you truly want to know what to do or how to do it, or maybe the best way or the most equitable way, talk to Black women. They're a lot of the reason that I'm here.”
American democracy is not threatened only, or even primarily, by a lack of education among our voters, but a lack of compassion, respect, and solidarity.
Full clip here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeJAdlV4fXM&t=2s&ab_channel=TheDailyShow
Good points. Interestingly, in the early years of the republic there were some states that allowed voting by anyone who paid taxes. This 'could' include women and people of color, though it probably rarely did. This was amended later to preclude voting by women and black people in all states.
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