WAS SOCRATES RIGHT ? DID HE DIED IN VAIN ?
23 June 2016 British Government asked the people to decide whether Britain should stay in European Union or not through a referendum ( EU Referendum), the poll said 51.9% were in favour of leaving and 48.1% in against of leaving. The result was clear that Britain should leave EU, so what was the problem? The Majority are in favour, right? Then, Why the Prime Minister resign ? Why Britain is going through political crisis? It was a complete democratic process to give every person right to vote and to do what majority says. Then What happened ?
The above described situation is popularly known as BREXIT (BRitainEXIT), I hope you have heard about it in news or on social media.
So, What was the problem ?
UK comprises of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The above picture describes the voting pattern in UK(of EU referendum). The Blue dots means in favour to leave and orange shows to remain in EU.(On the map, the darker shades for a colour indicate a larger margin. The results for Northern Ireland are by parliamentary constituency. )
The problem was, in Northern Ireland 55.8% voted to stay and in Scotland 62% voted to stay but because of less population ( and maybe right to vote) the allover percentage in favour of stay was only 48.1% which is (according to democracy) not a majority. So, now you know the situation. Whose mistake was this ? Was it the P.M’s mistake(who wanted to ask everyone for the decision)? or is there any fault in Right to Vote for Everyone ?
We are used to think very highly of Democracy (maybe that is the problem), and by extension, of Ancient Athens who give birth to it. So, let us dive in about 2400 years back to a world of Athens, full of Philosophers and their vital philosophies.
The most shocking thing is that one of the biggest achievements of Ancient Greece, Philosophy, was highly suspicious of its another achievement, Democracy.
Socrates, one of the most influential philosopher was hugely pessimistic about the whole business of Democracy, he was against the core of Democracy i.e. the Right to vote for everyone. According to Socrates, Voting is rather a skill, not a random intuition. Not everyone should have the right to vote unless he have that skill required for it, and like every other skill (like driving) , it should be taught systematically.
“The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”
WInston churchill
For clearly understanding his point, He asked us to imagine an election debate between two candidates, one who was like a doctor and the other who was like a sweet shop owner. The sweet shop owner would say of his rival:
Look, this person here has worked many evils on you. He hurts you, gives you bitter potions and tells you not to eat and drink whatever you like. He’ll never serve you feasts of many and varied pleasant things like I will.
Socrates asks us to consider the audience response:
Do you think the doctor would be able to reply effectively? The true answer – ‘I cause you trouble, and go against you desires in order to help you’ would cause an uproar among the voters, don’t you think?
He argues that voting is not a birthright and some narrow minded or people who doesn’t have that skill shouldn’t be allowed to vote. On the other hand, The people who can think deeply and rationally should vote.
Ironically, because of anti-democratic thoughts the Trial of Socrates took place, the democratic government of Greece asked a jury of 500 people to vote in favour/against of his execution by giving every jury right to vote (a loss for socrates’s philosophy) for Corrupting the Youth and Asebeia. The motion was passed and Socrates was executed ( passed by a narrow margin). For his followers, it was the end of the Intellectual Democratic thoughts.
‘If you stop thinking, if you stop wondering, you die.’
Gary Shteyngart
From that moment till now, many people think What if Socrates was not executed? What if he establishes what he desired ? Would it be a better world or same or even worst ? Would there be any situation like BREXIT ? Well, no one knows the answer but I believe in some other world where people believed in Socrates, we can get the answer or We can jus simply ask Super-Humans about it (did I give you a spoiler for my next post?🤫). The mystery remains……..
Signing off,
Yash Varshney
Cogitare Et Credere
P.S.- Everything has loopholes, the basic ideology of this blog is TO THINK so that we can remove the voids and fill up the spaces, I am not Anti-Democratic, I am just a believer who think of a better tomorrow, to have a wider perspective, to dream for a better place to live. Why do that ? Coz We are the future of our nation, our world (atleast this world😅) and we owe that.
P.P.S. – *Credits
- The Republic (Book 6) by Plato
- The School of Life (You-tube channel)
- Wikipedia
- Google (for images).
“VALAR DOHAERIS”
TᗯIᑎ ᖇEᗩᒪITY 