POL 2107 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Demagogue, False Advertising, Aristocracy

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Political Science
• Course: POL 2107
• Professor: Sophie Bourgault

Document Summary

Justifying his entitlement to rule (what defines the true philosopher?) Adeimantus (cid:862)do(cid:374)(cid:859)t (cid:455)ou see those (cid:449)ho take up philosoph(cid:455) a(cid:396)e (cid:272)o(cid:396)(cid:396)upt o(cid:396) totall(cid:455) useless to the (cid:272)it(cid:455)? (cid:863) What (cid:455)ou(cid:859)(cid:396)e saying is all nice but not convincing. Accusation is two fold: either stay away from politics, or they just babble (at best, at worst, when some other philosophers get involved in politics, they abuse their power and anchor instability. Plato takes charge seriously: concerns him personally (that they are useless, socrates comes back with the allegory of the ship. Explaining why he does not rule: the image of the ship (48d: what is the meaning of the powerful image, the captain is the philosopher (the babbler, the persuader is the sophist. This is a c(cid:396)iti(cid:395)ue of democ(cid:396)atic politics (duuuuudeeee) Vivid description of how democratic politics turn into the vicious game how demagogue seek power and absolute rule. 1: he does(cid:374)(cid:859)t (cid:271)eha(cid:448)e as the usual politi(cid:272)ia(cid:374)