The oligarch's excessive love of money infuriates the demos (the people). Whereas the oligarch endows himself with luxuries and unnecessary commodities, the people are denied the fundaments of the body, necessary food, shelter and clothing. This situation of excess for the oligarch and deficiency for the people produces a tense situation, calling for radical political change in the wombs of oligarchy.
In Plato's words, "Then Democracy, I suppose, comes into being when the poor win, killing some of the others and casting out some, and share the regime and the ruling offices with those who are left on an equal basis; and, for the most part, the offices in are given by lot" (The Republic, 557a, p. 235)
Democracy is organized by the principle of freedom, and the democratic man keeps his guard down. He does not compromise his freedom. He is excessively free. His soul is unbalanced. There are factions and fractures in his soul. Reason is always on a holiday, and desire runs unchecked. The democratic man is a frightening man. Free speech and
unruly desires govern his soul. He is undisciplined. Self control is a foreign disposition to a democratic personality. In his soul, desire is at war with reason. Desire always wins
The democratic regime houses all the other regimes Aristocracy, timocracy and oligarchy freely float inside the democratic regime. The democratic personality pretends to be sometimes the lover of wisdom, the philosopher -king ; at other times, he embraces the love of honor; frequently, he poses as an intimidating oligarch with wealth and honor. He desires all the other regimes. He becomes them all, like the jack of all trades and the master of none.
Plato ironically tells us that democracy is a sweet regime. Many multicolored, pretentious, ostensible lovers of equal ity are shamelessly drawn to it. The democrat does not dis- tinguish necessary and unnecessary desire. He is a desiring being, pure and simple. As a many-colored man the demo- crat tries to please everyone, without loyalty to a single one.
For Plato, there are and necessary desires unnecessary desires are those things we should not want, and we can train ourselves not to want them. Necessary are those desires that want us, or that we should want. Eating for example, is a necessary desire, provided that we regulate the content by reason. Unfortunately, these distinctions are lost on the democrat. The democrat is a drone, argues Plato. He is full of such pleasures and desires and is ruled by the unnecessary ones, while the stingy oligarch is ruled by the necessary ones" (The Republic, 559 d, p. 237).
How did democracy evolve out of oligarchy, and how did the oligarch become a democrat? Plato answers: "When a young man, reared as we were saying without just educa- tion and stingily, tastes te drone's honey, and has intercourse with fiery, clever beasts who are able to purvey manifold and subtle pleasures with every sort of variety, you presumably suppose that at this point he begins his change from oli an
garchic regime within himself to democratic one (559e, a 238). From this point onward, the democrat loses focus, confounds freedom with license and is saddled with inso lence, wastefulness, anarchy, shamelessness and recklessness. The unnecessary desires overwhelm him. Drinking,listening to flute, idling at the gymnasium, flirting with philosophy become his daily habits.
The recent events in Ethiopia (the war against Eritrea )seem to illustrate the pervasive presence of self-serving oli- garchs on whose victory at war had once been bestowed heavy honor. As recent events unfold, however, an obsessive quest for money has replaced the principle of honor. The modern Ethiopian state is now trembling because of this sudden shift that socialism had supposedly erased. So we were told by the power to be. Soon did we discover that old habits never die, and that the perennial power of money has come in full swing now. We are on the verge of being swallowed by the excessive appetites of democratic men. The democratic regime is now waiting to be rescued by a powerful tyrant, who will deliver from the voracious appetites of democratic men, as Plato would have argued.
The oligarch's excessive love of money infuriates the demos (the people). Whereas the oligarch endows himself with luxuries and unnecessary commodities, the people are denied the fundaments of the body, necessary food, shelter and clothing. This situation of excess for the oligarch and deficiency for the people produces a tense situation, calling for radical political change in the wombs of oligarchy.
In Plato's words, "Then Democracy, I suppose, comes into being when the poor win, killing some of the others and casting out some, and share the regime and the ruling offices with those who are left on an equal basis; and, for the most part, the offices in are given by lot" (The Republic, 557a, p. 235)
Democracy is organized by the principle of freedom, and the democratic man keeps his guard down. He does not compromise his freedom. He is excessively free. His soul is unbalanced. There are factions and fractures in his soul. Reason is always on a holiday, and desire runs unchecked. The democratic man is a frightening man. Free speech and
unruly desires govern his soul. He is undisciplined. Self control is a foreign disposition to a democratic personality. In his soul, desire is at war with reason. Desire always wins
The democratic regime houses all the other regimes Aristocracy, timocracy and oligarchy freely float inside the democratic regime. The democratic personality pretends to be sometimes the lover of wisdom, the philosopher -king ; at other times, he embraces the love of honor; frequently, he poses as an intimidating oligarch with wealth and honor. He desires all the other regimes. He becomes them all, like the jack of all trades and the master of none.
Plato ironically tells us that democracy is a sweet regime. Many multicolored, pretentious, ostensible lovers of equal ity are shamelessly drawn to it. The democrat does not dis- tinguish necessary and unnecessary desire. He is a desiring being, pure and simple. As a many-colored man the demo- crat tries to please everyone, without loyalty to a single one.
For Plato, there are and necessary desires unnecessary desires are those things we should not want, and we can train ourselves not to want them. Necessary are those desires that want us, or that we should want. Eating for example, is a necessary desire, provided that we regulate the content by reason. Unfortunately, these distinctions are lost on the democrat. The democrat is a drone, argues Plato. He is full of such pleasures and desires and is ruled by the unnecessary ones, while the stingy oligarch is ruled by the necessary ones" (The Republic, 559 d, p. 237).
How did democracy evolve out of oligarchy, and how did the oligarch become a democrat? Plato answers: "When a young man, reared as we were saying without just educa- tion and stingily, tastes te drone's honey, and has intercourse with fiery, clever beasts who are able to purvey manifold and subtle pleasures with every sort of variety, you presumably suppose that at this point he begins his change from oli an
garchic regime within himself to democratic one (559e, a 238). From this point onward, the democrat loses focus, confounds freedom with license and is saddled with inso lence, wastefulness, anarchy, shamelessness and recklessness. The unnecessary desires overwhelm him. Drinking,listening to flute, idling at the gymnasium, flirting with philosophy become his daily habits.
The recent events in Ethiopia (the war against Eritrea )seem to illustrate the pervasive presence of self-serving oli- garchs on whose victory at war had once been bestowed heavy honor. As recent events unfold, however, an obsessive quest for money has replaced the principle of honor. The modern Ethiopian state is now trembling because of this sudden shift that socialism had supposedly erased. So we were told by the power to be. Soon did we discover that old habits never die, and that the perennial power of money has come in full swing now. We are on the verge of being swallowed by the excessive appetites of democratic men. The democratic regime is now waiting to be rescued by a powerful tyrant, who will deliver from the voracious appetites of democratic men, as Plato would have argued.
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..