Why We Should Be Politically Active, According to Plato
The Greeks weren’t the founders of democracy for no reason!
Having lived in the 5th and 4th centuries B.C., Plato was a famous Greek philosopher who flourished during the Classical period of Ancient Greece. He founded what we today refer to as Platonism — the Platonist school of thought — which championed the quality of human life above all under the assumption of unchanging, eternal realities. He also founded the Academy, the modern-day equivalent of a university that taught mathematics, natural science, astronomy, and dialectics, in addition to philosophy and politics.
Plato’s most famous work is Republic, a Socratic dialogue about justice, the order and character of a just city-state, and the just man. The Athenian philosopher was a student of Socrates (who actually could not read nor write) and a teacher to Aristotle (who studied at the Academy), two other extremely prominent philosophers of Ancient Greece.
In reference to political participation, Plato once said:
One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.
I found this particular quote oddly arrogant, yet rather blunt. At first glance, it seems to convey that those who do not participate in politics are foolish, for lack of a better term, because it characterizes political activity with an aura of prestige and moral superiority. At the same time, Plato’s words allude to the idea that those currently participating in politics are also foolish, or “inferior.”
Further thought, however, led me to believe that Plato was quite right — not in the sense of chastising others, but rather in chastising oneself.
The democratic system of government is a blessing because it encourages each citizen to use his or her voice as a powerful weapon for change. While the United States does not utilize the Athenian system of direct democracy, in which every citizen votes on every issue (we must employ a representative democracy due to our large population of 330 million — imagine voting on every single resolution!), we possess the ability to participate in government decisions just the same.
Since our country’s inception, we have been revolutionists — literally. After engaging in actual warfare to declare independence from Britain, our founders erected a government comprised of elected representatives, a stark contrast from the monarch-based governments of the time. Jacksonian-era advocates expanded the vote to white men of all classes in the early 1800s as more and more people sought to be politically active.
After the Civil War initiated the freeing of slaves in 1865 (it was no overnight occurrence; the last slaves in Texas did not even receive word until two years later), the 13th and 14th amendments (abolition and naturalization, respectively), as well as Supreme Court decisions such as Brown v. Board of Education, paved the path for further equality for Americans. Populists of the late 19th century paved the way for further progressive reforms in the early 20th century. In 1920, the women’s suffrage movement finally achieved a victory with the passing of the 19th amendment, and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s revolutionized the way Americans thought about race (although not completely, of course). College students led protests against the Vietnam War, and, today, climate activists, women’s rights activists, LGBTQ+ activists, social justice activists, and the like organize marches across the entire nation.
Just in the last few months, protests around the country regarding race relations (and even those who protested against quarantine restrictions) have reminded us that our country’s culture of protest is still very much alive.
Of course, the most politically active tend to be those facing the most injustice in our society. Yet only by standing up can we foster an environment for progress. Therefore, when we do not exercise our right to free speech, our right to vote, or our right to assemble peacefully at times when we disagree or disapprove of current policies, we are, in fact, being foolish.
Despite living nearly 2,500 years ago, Plato’s worldview still endures. Since we live in a country that grants so many freedoms, we must utilize those freedoms to act politically. (After all, Aristotle did say that all humans are political animals!)
Therefore, in order to avoid such “penalties” as described by Plato, we should not refuse to participate in politics, but fully embrace our place in it.
The first step can be simple: this November, remember to go out and vote!
