Allegory of the Ship

Every citizen who lives in a democratic country has the same right to be involved in the political process that takes place in their country. Of course, this equality of rights includes all citizens, both the educated and those with low education.

Plato, who is a famous philosopher who is pessimistic about democracy, invites us to think in an allegory, namely when there is a ship filled with foolish people who have no knowledge of the direction of the destination and how to control the ship, all they know is how to have fun on the ship with the existing supplies without considering the future conditions. However, on the ship there is also one person who understands ship navigation very well, of course that person will be ignored and opposed by the foolish people who are with him.

This allegory was used by Plato as a criticism of the social and political conditions that occurred in his time. At that time Plato assessed that the people in power only relied on rhetoric that was able to manipulate the people to gain or maintain their power without seeing the shortcomings they had such as wisdom and justice.

At that time he also considered that it would be very dangerous to give too much power to people who did not have enough knowledge and wisdom in state affairs.

Closing

Nothing is perfect in this world, even a system of government that is considered the best system has shortcomings so that it is hated by a famous philosopher. In a democratic system, political decisions are largely determined by the people who have equal rights in political decision-making. Plato argued that people who are less or even uneducated or do not understand politics cannot make wise decisions. This makes Plato reaffirm the importance of adequate political education.

If we reflect on our beloved country, where the level of education and interest in literacy is still relatively low, then it will make us agree with Plato's view.

Looking at the current condition of our country, it makes us realize that the flaws of democracy have eroded various sectors from the bottom to the top. Starting from the people who have become permanent voters, many of whom still do not understand politics and its impact, to the politicians who are happy to exploit the ignorance of their people to get votes by justifying all unlawful means.

I think Plato's criticism of the democratic system at that time is still relevant to the conditions that occur in our country, all forms of shortcomings of the democratic system are exploited by politicians to commit fraud in order to gain power. It is important for the government to overcome this by paying attention to the education and economy of the community and making strong legal regulations if the government, which is filled with politicians, is not afraid of losing power in order to save the nation's democracy.