Why was Plato skeptical about democracy?

Question

mikkel900 · Answer

So, firstly what Plato set out to do in The Republic (His most known work) is to define the good, or righteous state.. 

At the time, and place (400BC, Athens) he was living, there was an early type of democracy (different from democracy today), which Plato did not exactly approve of.

So as you ask, why did Plato not like the democracy of ancient Greece? Well, to simplify this, because he thought that the ideal, righteous government/state should be ruled by philosophers. He thought that it was wrong to give everybody a say, in how the country was being run. Rather, people should do what they do best: Farmers should stick to their job, and soldiers to theirs. Meanwhile, Philosophers should be in charge of the state, in such a way that they thought of the people, rather than themselves.

I don't know how detailed an answer you would like. Really simply put, he did not like democracy, because he thought everyone should fill out their role in society, and some were better at ruling the country than others. 

If you want more details, or if you have any questions, or if anybody disagrees, feel free to message further :)

Good luck!

kohai · Answer

Great job answering @mikkel900