Plato and his teacher Socrates on democracy

"Dictatorship naturally arises out of democracy, and the most aggravated form of tyranny and slavery out of the most extreme liberty. Excess of liberty, whether it lies in state or individuals, seems only to pass into excess of slavery."
Plato (428/427 BC – 348/347 BC)

"A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception which has nothing sound in it and nothing true."
Sōkrátēs (469 BC–399 BC)


If Plato meant that dictatorship, tyranny and slavery come forth from extreme liberty, excess liberty, in the state or person, then what does that mean for those who live in free societies like the United States? Did Plato understand something about the fleeting emotions of people and the group-think (Ad Populum) issues that affect clear and logical thinking in groups or populations. C.S. Lewis understood something about human nature when he pointed to pleasures as things that are not trustable always and would never be good guides in determining morals or truths. If we are not ruled by the laws, we will be ruled by the pleasures. No middle ground here, one or the other. For either immutable laws in stone govern the pleasures and, if these are slowly discarded, and certain pleasures permitted, then the law becomes not the judge but that to be judged. And since a judged thing cannot be the judge, it then falls upon each individual or the state to allow pleasures and the pursuit of pleasures to guide what is proper in each man. Truth then is discarded for each person’s personal pleasure or instincts be it animal or whatever may enter the mind and body. So the law or the way is removed as judge and pleasure pursuit becomes the law. Since pleasure is unruly and varies in each individual, we have to allow for a wide-range of interpretations of what is good. Once the anchor is removed, the winds of pleasure will rule.



Socrates also points out, before Plato, that if emotional values are what we base morality on, then this is an illusion and a vulgar thing. These can never sustain a people. History is covered in failed attempts at ruling by the pleasure principle and appello affectum appeal to emotion. Are these sturdy anchors to maintain a civilization? “Nothing sound in it and nothing true”, says the old sage.