What is Plato's critique of democracy in the Republic?

In the Republic, Plato's character Socrates strongly criticizes democracy and advocates instead for a hierarchical state ruled by philosopher-kings. This opposition forms one of the earliest recorded philosophical critiques of democratic systems, favoring a government led by the best qualified. Rather than a modern republic, Plato's ideal state divides society into three distinct classes with specific roles.

What we know

• In Plato's Republic, Socrates is highly critical of democracy and proposes an ideal political state featuring a hierarchical system of three classes. [2]
• Plato's ideal political state is an aristocracy ruled by philosopher-kings or guardians who make the decisions. [1, 2]
• Opposition to democracy goes back historically to Plato, who argued for a government of the best qualified. [4]
• Despite the title Republic, Plato's characters do not propose a republic in the modern English sense of the word. [2]

Where to go next

• how it workedWho are the philosopher-kings in Plato's Republic?
• compared withHow do modern criticisms of democracy compare to Plato's views?
• how we knowWhat is the historical origin of the word democracy in Greek city-states?
• the bigger pictureWhat are the core principles of republicanism?
• whoHow did James Madison study historic democracies for the Constitutional Convention?
• an unexpected connectionHow did ancient Greek opposition to democracy influence modern American constitutional framing?James Madison extensively studied historic attempts and arguments regarding democracy, connecting ancient Greek critiques directly to the founding of modern constitutional systems.

Sources

• [1]Plato's political philosophy (Wikidata Q11888370) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Plato's political philosophy · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Democracy · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Criticism of democracy · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Republicanism · CC BY-SA 4.0