Transcript CM5151 PP on Athenian Democracy 2013 x

Athenian Democracy
Democracy & Communication
‘City’:derived from cite (French) and civitas (Latin), civitas not
city in the modern sense- urbs, civitas from civis (Latin) for
citizen. Civitas a body of citizens rather than a settlement.
Polis-city state.
Parthenon, a Doric Temple, built in 447-438 B.C., during the
high point of ancient Greek civilisation 5th century B.C.
Ancient Athenian agora: place of assembly, at the heart of the
city-state (polis), fused with the market place.
City centre for 1,200 years. A place of colanades (stoas),
government buildings and sacred temples where Athenians
engaged in public life- arts, commerce, politics, sports worship.
Established 6th century B.C., heyday in the 5th century B.C.
A birthplace of European democracy- ‘direct democracy’.
Democracy- Demokratia:
• Demos (citizens within the ‘polis’ or ‘mob’)
• Kratos (power or rule)
Oral communication the dominant form.
Stoa of Attalos.
Central Market.
Built in 1870.
Temple of Hephaestus.
Art
Sport
Robert A.Dahl (On Democracy) singles out a mode of
decision making among Vikings from 600 B.C/C.E. The ‘ting’
(Norse for ‘assembly) was “typically held in an open field
marked off by large vertical stones. At the meeting of the
Ting the freemen settled disputes; discussed, accepted, and
rejected laws; adopted or turned down a proposed change of
religion (as they did when they accepted Christianity in place
of the old Norse religion); and even elected or gave their
approval to a king--who was often required to swear his
faithfulness to the laws approved by the Ting”(Dahl on www).
The English word ‘thing’
comes from Old English word
“meaning both thing and
‘assembly”.
Image of a Germanic ‘Thing’
on good old Wikipedia - >
What happened here and how does it relate to a
contemporary understanding of democracy?
Pericles' Funeral Oration in honour of war dead (404 B.C.)
“Our form of government does not enter into rivalry with the
institutions of others. Our government does not copy our
neighbours', but is an example to them. It is true that we are
called a democracy, for the administration is in the hands of
the many and not of the few. But while there exists equal
justice to all and alike in their private disputes, the claim of
excellence is also recognized; and when a citizen is in any
way distinguished, he is preferred to the public service, not
as a matter of privilege, but as the reward of merit”.
Pericles (‘citizen, general and
politician’) embodied what was
best of 5th century city-state.
The importance of civic virtue.
Who participated in
Athenian democracy?
Citizens (with wives and
children): 160,000.
Only Athenian males over
20 entitled to citizenship.
Peasant-citizen (see Ellen
Meiksens Wood, 1989)
Who was excluded?
Slaves: 80,000-100,000.
Slaves to free citizens: 3:2.
Resident aliens: 90,000.
Socrates (469-399 B.C.)
Socratic method of debate-dialogue
Socrates wrote little, but reports of his life and ideas were
recorded by his students Xenophon and Plato.
Dialectics: “the method of seeking knowledge by question and
answer” (Bertrand Russell).
“Socratic questioning is the enactment of parrhesia- frank and
fearless speech- that is the lifeblood of any democracy”
(Cornel West, 2009)
“The exploration of contradictions always lies at the heart of
original thought” (David Harvey,1989)
Participation &
accountability with
consensus the
ideal outcome.
From Models of Democracy (2006) David Held
“Neither is poverty an obstacle, but a man may benefit his
country whatever the obscurity of his condition. There is no
exclusiveness in our public life, and in our private business
we are not suspicious of one another, nor angry with our
neighbour if he does what he likes; we do not put on sour
looks at him which, though harmless, are not pleasant.
While we are thus unconstrained in our private business, a
spirit of reverence pervades our public acts; we are
prevented from doing wrong by respect for the authorities
and for the laws, having a particular regard to those which
are ordained for the protection of the injured as well as
those unwritten laws which bring upon the transgressor of
them the reprobation of the general”
From Thucydides’s History of the Pelonnesian War
In the system of ostracism (5th century B.C.), a quorum of 6,000
was required to meet in the ekklesia (assembly) and those with
most names scratched on a potsherd were exiled for 10 years.
Containers for hemlock
Plato (c.427-347 B.C.)
Aristotle (384-322 B.C)
From ‘The School of Athens’
by Raphael (1510-11)
Wrote key texts on democracy,
their critique of it remains of value.
Images downloaded from the Internet
Plato, born 427 B.C. to an aristocratic Athenian family, grew up in a time of
war which coloured his views on the nature of democracy.
Believed that it ought to be ‘in the hands of a minority’ (David Held).
Employed dialogue in his writings, inspired by Socrates. Plato was
distressed at the nature of Socrates’s death, which also influenced his
views on same.
In The Republic he focused on the idea of in/justice and the ideal
constitution, among other themes. Addressed three types of society:
Timarchy (Spartan military elite et al versos Helots)
Oligarchy (rule by the wealthy)
Democracy (rule by the people)
‘treats all men as equal, whether they are equal or not’ Plato.
His use of ship’s captain/sailors as metaphors of democracy.
Tyranny (rule by a dictator).
The Statesman and The Laws, built on The Republic.
Aristotle and The Politics
Born 386 B.C. in Stageira in Chalcidice. Remained a citizen of Stageira.
Father a physician- learnt about biological classifications.
Travelled to Athens when he was 18, joined Plato’s Academy.
Student and teacher in the Academy for 20 years, a ‘resident alien’.
Left Athens when Plato died in 346, perhaps because he didn’t get a job.
Travelled – continues his scientific study.
Teacher to King Philip’s son for two years– future Alexander the Great
Back to Athens in 336 B.C., with a family.
Established a Lyceum as a research institute, 158 scholars travel to the
1,000 city states of the Greek Empire (between Georgia and Spain) at the time.
Aristotle considered 100,000 was the ideal size of city state
Wrote Politics in the last 12 years of life (335-323 B.C.)
Politics structured around 8 Books, continues to be a foundational text of
politics along with his Constitution of Athens.
Aristotle asked why humans lived together and replied that they were
naturally political (‘man is a political animal’) within the context of a city-state
or a polis.
Stresses the importance of the state at the start of the book.
“Every state is a community of some kind, and every community is
established with a view to some good; for mankind always act in order to
obtain that which they think good. But, if all communities aim at some good,
the state or political community, which is the highest of all, and which
embraces all the rest, aims at good in a greater degree than any other, and
at the highest good”.
That humans are born to live in cultures, and that classifications of
man/woman (procreation), master/slave (mutual preservation) are natural.
Saw households as central, but pre-political and that women and children
ought to be educated about citizenship.
Aristotle had lived through discord in Athens and was wary
of democracy as practiced in Athens.
Good government exists ‘when it aims at the good of the
whole community, bad when it cares only for itself’
(Bertrand Russell, referring to Aristotle)
Correct
Deviant
One Ruler
Kingship
Tyranny
Few Rulers
Aristocracy (the best)
Oligarchy (the rich)
Many Rulers
Polity
(constitutional government)
Democracy
(drawing lots)
Aristotle believed that constitutions were about balancing
diversity in a community, a class based understanding.
Revolutions arise from conflicts between oligarchy and
democracy.
Idea of the ‘good’ is central for Aristotle, for Plato it is justice.
Aristotle was critical of Plato’s The Republic and The Laws,
some commentators think unjustifibly.
Aristotle writings translated into Arabic during the 8/9th
century, then Latin. Thomas Aquinas takes up his concept of
the ‘good’ and integrates it in to his Christian message of the
good life. Christian Aristotelianism
‘The School of Athens’
by Raphael (1510-11)
Location: The Vatican
Background reading on the Athenian city-state:
From David Held’s Models of Democracy
1 Classical Democracy : Athens
See website dedicated to Models of Democracy at:
http://www.polity.co.uk/modelsofdemocracy/default.asp
Click on ‘Study Guide’ and go to Part One- Classic Models
From the Study Guide:
After reading Chapter , see if you can answer the following questions. If not,
check back over the text and make yourself some summary notes.
1. What were the main operating features of Athenian democracy?
2. What were Plato’s main arguments against democracy as a form of
government?
3. Why is it paradoxical to call Athens democratic?
4. What was it about Athens which has inspired democrats through the ages?
Texts for Seminar in Week Thee
Politics (350 B.C) by Aristotle
http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/politics.html
The Republic (360 B.C) by Plato
http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/republic.html
Source the BBC4 Programme Aristotle’s Politics from the
In Our Time series- available on podcasts
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qykl
Bertrand Russell on Plato’s Utopia (The Republic)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8bo3fTH6m8ttp://www.yobe
.com/watch?v=Z8bo3fTH6m8
Bertrand Russell on Aristotle’s Politics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsNmIid70HU