POL 210 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Anytus, Direct Democracy, Sophist
11 Apr 2016
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Plato: the beginnings of political philosophy: athenian deomcracy. >only male citizens could participate in public life. But intensive citizenship for those eleibible: participation in courts (200-500), assembly (40 times/yr, up to 6000), and council (reps from 100 local demes") >oligarchy vs. democracy in 5th and 4th c. athens. Just before socrates was convicted, change of governance. Highly skeptical on virtues of democracy, reason for conviction. Sophists-- paid to teach--what might be true about public life, may not be true about another. Socrates well known for wondering about city amongst intellectual/experts, concluded that so-called experts had shaky expertise, but even less knowledge on other matters. Plato is student of socrates; unlikely most of philosophical pieces based solely on. Backdrop is that socrates rebels against status quo of way intellectual elite, government, and ultimately poses threat to democratic regime and its" principles. His opinion has large impact amongst rest of society.
