What would our country look like if only the educated could vote? Modern democracy is not an intellectual democracy, but a democracy by birthright — much to the chagrin of Socrates. An informative video briefly discusses the philosopher's views on an uninformed electorate, including the ultimate irony of said electorate determining his own death.

Concepts

socrates, democracy, greek philosophers, greek culture, ancient greece, voting, elections

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Show to your class during an election year when discussing voting rights
• Have class members write an argument essay in which they argue for or against an intellectual democracy

Classroom Considerations

• Compares the execution of Socrates to the crucifixion of Christ, a comparison that may be apt to some members of your class and offensive to others
• Comment section is open to the public and full of opinions, most of them political

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Uses an analogy of a sweet shop owner and a doctor as politicians trying to get elected
• Includes interesting details of Socrates's life and death
• Cautions against demagoguery

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.9-10.2 SL.11-12.2 RH.9-10.2 RH.11-12.2