Session 4: Democracy and Politeia
Athens, where the conference will take place, more than any other city-state of ancient Greece made an acknowledged contribution to the notions of democratic governance. This was both idealistic and realistic, emphasizing the importance of the individual but also the collectivity. The notion of human dignity was repeatedly stressed as was that of equality even though the latter was also severely circumscribed by the different social attitudes of the ancient world towards slavery, women and the rights of semi-citizens or immigrants. The understanding of justice and what purpose it should serve also received nuanced and sophisticated treatment that still informs legal thinking. Similarly pioneering was the realization that in a democracy citizens have duties as well as rights, towards the state but also towards "eternal laws", touching the sensitive issue of the permissible limits of civil disobedience.
These ideas evolved in the forum and in the gymnasium, during private so... More | Comments
- Citation:
- Permalink:
Democracy and Politeia - Period One
Understanding dignity as equal high standing among citizens allows for new explorations of the emergence of civic dignity in Athens.
Democracies promise political equality, a powerful concept that is hard to define.
Novelists and writers for theater, radio, and television employed the iconic figure of Socrates to comment on political issues of the 1940s and 1950s, and subsequently popularized Socrates as a hero of democracy.
An examination of aretē and eudaimonia in ancient Athenian democracy offers a sophisticated alternative to the ideologies characteristic of contemporary liberal democracy.
Que recouvre le terme « démocratie » chez les Anciens et quand une cité cesse-t-elle d’en être une ?
Les origines de l’attachement des Grecs modernes à l’idée démocratique et son poids dans l’histoire contemporaine de la Grèce et de l’Europe.
Democracy and Politeia - Period Two
Democracy during the Hellenistic period experienced widespread diffusion as well as a shift towards vaguer meaning and more expandable usage. Specific examples, then, help to shed light on the factors that increase this discrepancy between illusion and reality within a democracy.
Although ruled by a divine emperor, the Byzantines experienced some of the freedoms typically associated with democracy.
Utilisation de l’apparence formelle du classicisme et de ses éléments eidétiques dans l’élaboration d’un discours dominateur.
Comment la démocratie réagit, se défend, périt ou résiste face aux crises ?
While the ancient Greek city saw its physical demise, Christian authors in early medieval Byzantium continued to use the image and concept of the Greek polis to evoke lessons of a Christian life.
Democracy and Politeia - EUNIC Papers
While electronic government may be a phenomenon of the modern age, its goals for greater citizen involvement in civic matters have a strong connection to the values of ancient Greeks.
The former Soviet states of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia provide insight into the process of democratic transition.
An antidote to political indifference might be direct democracy, which would provide an opportunity for youth and other marginalized groups to become active and responsible members of society.
Analyses of Aristophanes’ Knights often focus on the play’s harsh criticism of Cleon and his policy of demagoguery, but in an alternative view, the play may be more of a critique of the people than Cleon.
Democracy and Politeia - Respondents