If you want freedom, stop acting stupid.

Andrew Cheng January 5, 2021 · Medium.com

Watching the news can sometimes feel more surreal than watching an episode of The Simpsons. I often find myself repeating the immortal words of news anchor Kent Brockman from season 6, episode 14:

“Democracy simply doesn’t work.”

I’ve been feeling this way for a long time — from George Bush’s war on Iraq to the 2013 American government shutdown to … well, pretty much everything about Donald Trump.

Do you know who else would feel this way? None other than one of the forefathers of Greek philosophy, Socrates, (according to the writings of Plato).

Who Do You Want Steering the Ship?

Socrates once compared society to a ship. Who do you want in charge of the vessel? Someone who’s educated in seafaring or some random bloke?

Of course, the logical answer would be the former. But, to Socrates, democracy is a lot like a mob of Simpsons characters throwing up their hands and shouting, “Random bloke! Random bloke!”

Politicians are like sailors shouting over each other to seize control of the ship. The citizens are like an indecisive captain vacillating from one opinion to the next. There may a competent navigator stationed on this vessel. But in a democracy, this navigator may be too indifferent to do anything.

The Three Parts of a Democratic Society

Socrates observed that there are three parts to a democratic society.

Those Who Hold Public Office

These are the masters of rhetoric. While they may tout the public’s welfare, Socrates believed politicians ultimately looked to enrich themselves. They’re not always suited for office, but they end up wielding the most influence. All anyone has to do to curry favor is to declare themselves “the friend of the people.”

The Rich

This is the smallest group, but they hold the most wealth in a society. They value money over everything else. This group also happens to be the best organized. If the rich become too powerful, society splinters into two, with the rich and the poor conspiring against each other.

The Citizenry

Basically, everyone else. They have the fewest possessions. But when assembled, they are the largest and most powerful group in a democracy. Unfortunately, Socrates doesn’t think highly of this group either. He describes the general population as whimsical (Plato, Republic. 561c, d), something akin to a wild beast ruled by appetite and passion.

The Road to Demagoguery

Socrates believed the combination of these classes creates the perfect breeding ground for a tyrannical demagogue.

First, the whimsical nature of the citizenry leads to a craving for excessive freedom. The people would turn hostile towards any form of authority. Students would reject their teachers; teachers would fear their students. Society ultimately succumbs to lawlessness. (Plato, Republic. 563d)

The drive towards excessive freedom also propels society towards an artificial egalitarianism. The people lash out against anything they perceive to be inequality. The rich become particularly loathed. The wealthy class, in turn, becomes increasingly oligarchical, further entrenching the class divides.

In this phase, politicians often fan these flames of tension, turning the two classes against one another for political gains.

The Populist Despot

Even more crucially, a populist leader would rise amidst the chaos. He brands the greedy rich and the scheming politicians as “enemies of the people.” He wins the support of the populace. He starts ousting his political enemies. His acts may even turn violent. But his supporters would back him regardless of his actions. Democracy succumbs to tyranny, not from a violent revolt but a willing citizenry seeking artificial stability over political chaos.

How We Can Prove Socrates Wrong

The rise of 20th-century dictators like Hitler and Stalin seem to support Socrates’ indictment against democracy. Socrates’ own life could be seen as a case of democracy gone wrong. After all, the philosopher had been unjustly sentenced to death by a vote of 500 of his fellow Athenians.

Socrates wasn’t right about everything, though. He believed society should be divided into three classes — producers, soldiers, and rulers. He also believed that this division should be enforced with a “noble lie,” that the human soul is made up of gold, silver, and brass/iron compounds. (Plato, Republic. 414e–15c)

Indeed, Socrates has neglected many of the benefits of a democratic society. Democracy remains the only form of government that protects free speech. It empowers the free market of ideas amongst the widest group of people. And it protects an individual’s dignity, regardless of his/her ability or contributions to society.

Education

During the 2013 American government shutdown, I discussed Socrates’ views of democracy with my father. I was convinced that if the government keeps going down this road, the American people would grow weary and turn to a tyrant for faster results. My father assured me I was wrong; today’s individuals are too educated to succumb to a tyrannical government.

My father is now a Trump supporter.

Despite this, I remain convinced the only way to safeguard democracy is to become better educated about our politics.

We are dangerously uninformed in this regard. According to two eminent political scientists Christopher Achen and Larry Bartels, most people vote according to their social identities rather than an honest evaluation of reality. Even those skilled at math tend to rely on their emotions when they go out and vote.

We need to educate ourselves about our government and our issues as much as we need to learn about basic finance or basic car maintenance. Socrates believed the people could achieve their highest potential only when they are properly educated. We need to pay attention to the issues, study arguments from both sides of the political spectrum, and routinely question our information sources.

Frankly, we don’t have a choice. Fake news isn’t going away any time soon. The deep-fake phenomenon is only going to make things harder. As long as there are would-be demagogues, there would always be those who’d look to undermine our democracy.

As Winston Churchill once said:

“Democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms.” — Winston Churchill

According to Socrates’ analogy of the ship, we are the captains. It’s time we start acting like it.