Authority and Democracy are both very important factors within society, in regards to the state and the people within society, philosophers such as Plato and J.S Mill both discussed and formed opinions of both authority and democracy. However, both of their views appear to be very different in terms of distribution of education amongst society and the extent of political truth. Throughout this essay, both Plato and J.S Mill’s theories will be explained and analysed to show the differences and also similarities between the two of their views.
Authority is the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience amongst others. Society automatically accept the right of the state to actively use their power. This is however, different to when authority is abused by systems through manipulation. There are two different types of authorities; Authority de jure – which is power granted through laws, rules …show more content…
However, Plato was strict in his views regarding democracy, as he appears to strongly advise that those who are not educated enough on a political level should not be granted the right to have a say on any issues affecting the state, he believes that society would make poor decisions and that political issues should only be addressed by those who are politically informed, such as philosophers like himself, as he believes they have the knowledge and wisdom to do so. However, J.S Mill is more lenient compared to Plato. As a liberalist, he believed in democracy and allowing the people to have a say on issues which will affect them and their society, he believed that democracy allowed freedom of speech to the people. Which highlights the difference between the two of their views
Authority is the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience amongst others. Society automatically accept the right of the state to actively use their power. This is however, different to when authority is abused by systems through manipulation. There are two different types of authorities; Authority de jure – which is power granted through laws, rules …show more content…
However, Plato was strict in his views regarding democracy, as he appears to strongly advise that those who are not educated enough on a political level should not be granted the right to have a say on any issues affecting the state, he believes that society would make poor decisions and that political issues should only be addressed by those who are politically informed, such as philosophers like himself, as he believes they have the knowledge and wisdom to do so. However, J.S Mill is more lenient compared to Plato. As a liberalist, he believed in democracy and allowing the people to have a say on issues which will affect them and their society, he believed that democracy allowed freedom of speech to the people. Which highlights the difference between the two of their views