Ruling is a skilled trade, Plato argues. And like any other trade, not everyone has the talent or the training to be good at ...

In the complex and often violent political arena of ancient Greece, ideals of civic engagement and self-determination mingled ...

The Republic, the best-known work of ancient Greek philosopher Plato, authored around 375 BC, has shaped western political thought. Greece is now known as the “cradle of democracy”.

Not only was the first democracy in the world in Athens, but the word itself comes from the Greek demos (people) and kratos (rule). Yet Plato's The Republic relentlessly argues against democracy.