Education, Democracy, and Demagoguery
Socrates expressed his views on democracy by asking, “would you like a ship to be captained by anyone or those who are educated in the art of sailing?” He was arguing not for a democracy open to everyone, neither for rule by the elites, instead he demanded only the educated be given the vote. Socrates believed that voting was not instinctual, its methodology had to be taught. Imagine if before taking off passengers elected from among them a pilot for their plane. A citizenry untrained in the art of the vote, is the biggest corruption a government can commit.
Imagine two candidates in an election. The first one sells ice cream and the second one is a dentist. The ice cream seller tells the people, “I give you sweets, pleasure, happiness, relief on a hot summer day. My opponent, the dentist, tells you what you can or cannot eat. He tell you what your routine should be, that you should brush and floss, and if you do not listen to him he pulls out your teeth. He is demanding, if you do not follow him he gives you pain and a bloody mouth.”
The dentist will counter, “I tell you what to do, and cause you pain, because I know what is good for you.”
Who will the voters chose, imagine the reaction of the public when they hear the dentist. This will be a landslide victory for only one person. Too often we elect these ice cream sellers, their sweet masking the carnage slowly caused; unrealized until it becomes impossible to eat, rotten parasites sucking blood. The prevention of Demagogues can only happen if the citizenry is educated in the art of voting. The numerous subjects of the social sciences such as philosophy, economics, finance, and management; in addition to a focus on rationality will create a defense against demagogues. Education is the protein of democracy, in its absence democracy whimpers into a fall.
