Political Science 1020E Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Athenian Democracy, Equal Voice, Direct Democracy
1 Nov 2017
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Direct: everyone had an equal voice for everything. Exclusionary: only about 10% could vote, not women, slaves, metics. More democratic than us technically (direct democracy) The many are selfish, ignorant and unpredictable. Doctors, architects, medical doctors, should all be qualified and experts. Political decision-makers should have judgment skill and knowledge. Ruling is a skill, that only few can do. Philosophical training: acquire knowledge of the human good. But they realize the alternative is unacceptable. They don"t want power, they want knowledge see from another"s perspective. Ask people what they want, but plato says people don"t know what"s good for. Some people possess these skills but not all. Even so the ruler needs to know the interest of the people, but how can they them. Educate rulers to be concerned for the common good. Don"t allow them to possess private property. Everyone has the right to vote and the right to stand for office.
