what are some advantages that pericles says democracy has?

Sparta’s system appealed especially to aristocrats, such as the young men who conversed with Socrates in the gymnasia. The highest reward is the kind of immortality that was once reserved for epic heroes but which now has come to the Athenian soldiers who have died in the service of their city, and which Pericles urges the living to earn for themselves: “They gave their lives for the common good and thereby won for themselves the praise that never grows old and the most distinguished of all graves, not those in which they lie, but where their glory remains in eternal memory, always there at the right time to inspire speech and action. It can require individual voters to accept an entire mandate for a single issue. – Plato’s Socrates That means processes slow down to the point where it can take several years to create significant changes. Instead of having a candidate who truly represents them, they must pick the platform which is the closest to their stance. The Spartans believed in deeds, not words. When a democracy which is thirsting for freedom has evil cupbearers presiding over the feast, and has drunk too deeply of the strong wine of freedom, then, unless her rulers are very amenable and give a plentiful draught, she calls them to account and punishes them, and says that they are cursed oligarchs. Gridlock occurs frequently in democratic structures. .In the streets he must get out of the way. Part of the speech met the challenge posed by the heroic tradition that emphasized competition, excellence, or merit and the undying glory that rewarded it. Facebook says that a few years ago, it was easier to say that social media was clearly positive for democracy. When there is an incentive to offer everything without the requirement to fulfill your word, then you’ll see more lies than truth in the daily conversations about governing that occur. The newer image, provided by Sparta, took shape no earlier than the seventh century but immediately captured the imagination of many and continued to fascinate Greek thinkers for centuries. Thucydides treats Pericles in general and his … This process makes it possible for voters or their representatives to aggregate the different needs of each community toward a coherent policy that protects the needs of everyone. The freedom offered in the structures of democracy allows the general population to seek any result they want. Pericles made use of the occasion offered in the Funeral Oration to respond in detail and to show how the democratic city he had in mind met their complaints. Pericles' view was obviously a very idealized one, and it ignored the realities of party factionalism, selfishness, and arrogance that were to soon manifest after his death. One way that it gained the needed commitment was by creating, for the first time in history, a true political life which allowed its active citizens to exercise human capacity previously employed by very few. With brilliant brevity Lincoln answered some questions by pointing to the greatness of the cause at issue. Every ballot is an opportunity to express one’s personal opinion. The cost of democracy is something that many people don’t realize exists. In war and in peace, the Athenian people showed themselves eager to accept the responsibilities that allowed them to share in their city’s glory. Instead of looking at what might be useful for the rest of society, most voters gauge what they put on their ballot based on what affects their checking account, taxes, or overall cost of living. In the realm of private disputes everyone is equal before the law, but when it is a matter of public honors each man is preferred not on the basis of his class but of his good reputation and his merit [arete]. The Spartans faced this fundamental problem of the polis in its sharpest form. Because the government in a democracy is under the control of the people and their voice, then it is up to each individual to decide their fate. Decisions must route through various legislative bodies or the people, which reduces the pursuit of war on a whim. We have no need of a Homer to praise us or of anyone else whose words will delight us for the moment but whose account of the facts will be discredited by the truth. Pericles’ greatest achievement lay in his ability to explain how the interests of the city and its citizens depended on each other for fulfillment. To succeed, they need a vision of the future that is powerful enough to sustain them through bad times as well as good and to inspire the many difficult sacrifices that will be required of them. 6. Some time in the eighth century the polis emerged, and its needs at once came into conflict with the old heroic ethos. He was one of those rare individuals who do not merely accept the conditions of the world they find but try to shape it to an image in their own minds. Pericles believed that democracy, because it is rule by citizens, required citizens to be informed and to have a direct interest in affairs of state. 1. At times, the third qualification is the most important and can compensate for weaknesses in the other two. The Spartans were famous for their brevity and distrust of subtle reasoning, but Pericles praises the democracy’s fondness for debate and discussion. Pericles (Greek: Περικλῆς, Periklēs, "surrounded by glory"; c. 495 – 429 BC) was the most prominent and influential Greek statesman, orator and general of Athens during the Golden Age—specifically, the time between the Persian and Peloponnesian wars. He was the leader of Athens and lead the Golden Age. In the real world, however, no one would adopt that demanding and perverse way of life except in the unique circumstances that brought it to Sparta. Solon, an Athenian lawmaker of the early sixth century, went further, arguing that a well-governed polis was the best defense against injustice, faction, and turmoil: “It makes all things wise and perfect in the world of men.”. . .” (2 43. l-2). Welcome as this prospect was, it nonetheless presented a problem. This arrangement can take different styles, but the result is generally the same. He served as the 32nd President won a record four Presidential elections, becoming a central figure in the events that shaped the world during that time. The Spartan way of life inspired admiration in many other Greeks, though none went so far as to adopt the Spartan system. The structure of a democracy gives every vote an equal amount of weight during an election. The new and emerging democracies of our time are very fragile, and they all face serious challenges. We are not angry with our neighbor if he does what pleases him, and we don’t glare at him which, even if it is harmless, is a painful sight” (2.37.2). Now it is for you to emulate them; knowing that happiness requires freedom and freedom requires courage, do not shrink from the dangers of war” (2.43.2-4). Nonetheless, some women, known as hetaeras, did receive an education with the specific purpose of entertaining men, similar to the Japanese geisha tradition. The Presidential elections every four years in the United States are measured in the billions. These were evidence of his freedom and importance, and so a source of pride. Pericles on Athenian Democracy: Our constitution does not copy the laws of neighboring states; we are rather a pattern to others than imitators ourselves. Pericles met the challenge of the heroic tradition by showing that democracy would bring to all the citizens of Athens the advantages heretofore reserved for the well-born few. Pericles took a different view: “We believe,” he said,that words are no barrier to deeds, but rather that harm comes from not taking instruction from discussion before the time has come for action. Democracy is generally based on the rule of equality. The French and American revolutions extended citizenship more generously than in Greece, ultimately excluding only children from political participation. He certainly played the chief role in transforming it from a limited democracy where the common people still deferred to their aristocratic betters to a fully confident popular government in which the mass of the people were fully sovereign in fact as well as theory. Even when there is disagreement in the community, everyone still has the common ground of their nation to fall back upon when forming their identity. People often talk about countries "becoming" democracies, once they start to have relatively free and open elections. Pericles extols the virtues of Athens and her democracy – he even goes so far as to … If we had access to Pericles’ inner thoughts and to the many other speeches he delivered in his long career, we would possibly discover that he took no less pride in Athenians’ peaceful achievements of mind and spirit. Pericles met the challenge of the heroic tradition by showing that democracy would bring to all the citizens of Athens the advantages heretofore reserved for the well-born few. In the decade before 500 B.C., the Athenians established the world’s first democratic constitution. In fact, Pericles sees Athens as having the ultimate possible government; the one best conducive to freedom, liberty, courage, honor, and justice – the values most honored by the Athenians. You get an opportunity to seek what you are enthusiastic about in this life. For Pericles, Athens itself was a competitor for these prizes in the agon among poleis, past and present. There are times when a complete majority of a single party can win an election, but even then, there can be enough disagreement within the ranks that compromises must happen. Many of the qualities and characteristics envisioned by Pericles are related to military excellence, as is natural in a speech delivered in wartime to encourage the struggle for victory. Xenophon gives a good example of the absence of any privacy in Sparta: “In other cities whenever a man shows himself to be a coward his only punishment is that he is called a coward. Pericles was born c. 495 BC, in Athens, Greece. No one wants to be stuck on the outside looking in when it comes to governing. The Spartan imposed a property qualification for participation in public life; any Athenian citizen could sit on juries or the council and vote and speak in the assembly. The oration has served forever after as an ode to participatory democracy. The structure of a democracy works to reduce issues with exploitation. -since of democracy -equality -freedom that expands to everyday life -live exactly as they please-thens submit to the laws and obey the public officials not because they have to, as in other cities, but because they want to. It was a vision that exalted the individual within the political community not by what it gave him but by what it expected of him. Democracy is ineffective unless voters educate themselves on governing decisions. The Athenians depicted in his Funeral Oration are idealized images, and events would soon show the darker, less admirable side of Athenian society. Only facing dangers that the mind can comprehend deserves to be called bravery, and that is what is expected of the men in his polis. In 431 BCE, at the end of the first year of the Peloponnesian War, held their traditional public funeral for all those who had been killed. send our content editing team a message here, 19 Advantages and Disadvantages of Fast Food, 34 Best Nursing Resume Objective Statement Examples, 50 Most Asked Assistant Principal Interview Questions with Answers, 31 Best Clerical Resume Objective Statement Examples, 40 Most Asked Burger King Interview Questions with Answers, 40 Most Asked Librarian Interview Questions with Answers, 100 Most Asked Mechanical Engineer Interview Questions with Answers, 40 Most Asked Security Guard Interview Questions with Answers, 30 Impressive Sales Manager Resume Objective Statement Examples, 33 Impressive Office Assistant Resume Objective Statement Examples, The 100 Most Asked Salesforce Admin Interview Questions with Answers. Conservatives in the United States would argue that it is challenging to vote for the average Democrat because of their views on abortion. If power moves away from the people to only a privileged few, then it is only a handful of steps away from a dictatorship. Now many believe that a democracy is the best form of government that is available today because it gives each person the freedom to have a voice. It is especially bad in two-party systems, but this disadvantage is present in all democracies as well. Democracies give people a chance to become personally involved with their government. They must see that democracy alone of all regimes respects the dignity and autonomy of every individual, and understand that its survival requires that each individual see his own well-being as inextricably connected to that of the whole community. The polis was a political community and a sovereign entity competing in a world of similar communities. We obey those who hold office and the laws themselves, especially those enacted for the protection of the oppressed and those which, although unwritten, it is acknowledged shame to violate” (2.37.3). Democracy does not create a centralized power base for ruling over the people. To me, at least, they still seem to indicate some of the important ways in which democracy is likely to go astray. His political program allowed all Athenian citizens to take part in government, to help guide their own destinies and those of their polis, as befits free men, to pursue their own prosperity and happiness in a broad realm of privacy, free of interference and confiscation by the state yet held to a high standard of ethical behavior in the role of a citizen. For Athenians, the individual and familial values sung by Homer remained vital and attractive; yet their polis needed a Spartan commitment and devotion to meet the challenge of the Persian invasions, of the acquisition of the empire, and of the jealousy of Sparta and her allies. And in his last recorded speech in 430, although its intention was to persuade the Athenians to keep fighting, he said: “For those who are prospering and who have a choice, going to war is folly” (2.61.1). Democracies give people a chance to become personally involved with their government. It challenges them to represent the needs of each community so that everyone receives an equal opportunity to pursue their dreams. As public orator was thus a tribute to his polis for the satisfaction of his vision for Athens and kind... Average Democrat because of the others.” occurs because each job is either directed the... 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