Summary Of Book VI Of The Republic By Plato

The 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, said during his Gettysburg Address, “Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.” This quote is routinely used by backers of the democratic government system. It shows how the democratic system works, allowing the citizens of a country to shape their government by electing officials to serve on their behalf. With any good system however, there are bound to be detractors. Plato is one of the most well-known detractors of the democratic system. In Book VI of the Republic, Plato compares democracy to an ill-governed ship. In this parable Plato lays out the deficiencies in the democratic system, and I agree with many of his points; however,
This ship owner is painted as someone who has achieved his position through his brute strength, and not through his smarts. All of the sailors on the ship are clamoring for his attention, as everyone on the ship is striving to reach the helm. In order to improve their chances of succeeding, the sailors also inundate the ship owner with mandrake, a type of root that causes hallucinogenic effects to the consumer. In order to further distract him the sailors give the shipowner drink or anything else that will allow them to take control of the ship. The sailors are also arguing amongst themselves, trying to persuade their fellow sailors that they are the one that is best suited for the job of leading the ship. When doing this however, they cannot produce actual facts about their schooling, instead telling lies in order to improve their image. The sailors are extremely jealous when another man succeeds, and sometimes will kill the successful man granting themselves another chance at achieving their goal. This chaos in trying to achieve the helm of the ship is just the first of Plato’s criticisms of the democratic