The 27-year Peloponnesian War between Athens and its great rival Sparta led Socrates to criticise Athenian democracy. He particularly criticised the egotistical governing leadership who used preaching and flattering to gain power and wealth with the support of the general population.
It was in 404 BC after the war ended and Sparta defeated Athens and imposed an aristocracy by assigning wealthy Athenians to rule the government. However, Socrates doubted the integrity of these Athenian politicians whom he labelled “pretenders of wisdom.” As a result, an increasing number of Athenian leaders saw Socrates as a threat to their city-state.
But why is this history from hundreds of years ago still relevant today? Are these so-called “brilliant leaders who obviously have the universe’s knowledge at their fingertips” still present in the modern world?
At the age of 20, Plato began studying under the philosopher Socrates who encouraged his students to contest their leaders by asking probing questions like “What is honesty?” to assess their wisdom and legitimacy.
This is the question that is now needed to inquire with Nepali political leaders.
Unbeneficial transformation
After forcefully erasing the history of 240 years of monarchy in Nepal and transforming it into a republic, the political party leaders acted with more appealing and pleasant sermons than emerging theatre performers.
As a result, like the people of Athens— the Nepali people tumbled into the snare of unquestioning unjust leaders. The country remains entrenched in unemployment, poverty, and injustice because the transformation has primarily benefited a select few with political power and control rather than serving the broader population and the nation as a whole.
It mostly seems that in the Nepali governance system, sarcastic speeches and cynical idioms are more common in the parliamentary debate, while intellectual reasoning and scholarly wisdom are often downcast. Just Google the country with the lowest IQ and that is who we are sending to represent us.
What is wisdom? What is power? What is justice, and why should a person behave justly? Plato asked these questions in his study after observing the aforementioned Athenian position through dialogues in his work, “The Republic.”
Thrasymachus—a character who teaches political leaders affirms that justice or power is what is in the interests of the powerful who rule the state. Most leaders of Nepal certainly consent to this impulse in their spirits though they do not acknowledge it in public discourse.
The truth for Nepal is that for years the government falsely claimed to be committed to institutional power and equal distribution of resources for the people. However, in practice, they are dispersing those assets within their factions based on personal interest.
The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) data for 2023 published by Transparency International reveals that Nepal scored 34 out of 100 and ranked 110th out of 180 countries indicating a relatively high level of perceived corruption within the public sector.
This is not merely a narrative of Nepal’s current political landscape. The roots trace back to the 1990s movement which aimed to abolish the absolute monarchy— a system that was inaccurately portrayed as a dictatorship within the political discourse of that era.
Although this movement achieved its goal constitutionally the vision of satisfying the needs of the people remains distant. Corruption and abuse of power seem to be more popular in open societies. The leaders failed to satisfy the needs of the people.
Freedom is supreme in the current political setting but lawlessness results in chaos. Political leaders struggle to seize the attention of the masses which Plato referred to as “beasts.” Some people close to these leaders and political parties have also accumulated enormous treasure in Nepal by taking advantage of this unsystematic disorder.
This is not only the story of the leaders representing the government formed by one party, but every political party entering the government brings comparable outcomes and disappointment to the citizens. Nepal hence is severely suffering from a democratic deficit and faces an inherent lack of self-governing legitimacy. The current concept of state-centered political power is misleading and the key feature of modern democracy which is the legitimate function of power seems missing.
Why is this happening? Reflecting on Athens and as stated by Plato— where the leaders were lagging in advanced training in mathematics, science, and philosophical reasoning due to their vested self-interests, the same is the case with the current political leadership of Nepal.
Politics in Nepal
Politics in Nepal is one such field where no qualification is required. Most Nepali leaders are often questioned about their majors and degrees which are witty enough to divert the curiosity of their citizens with their prominent radical concepts and anecdotes.
Some of these leaders have proudly admitted in public that they are not college graduates and in return have made absurd disclosures about their experiences of being punished for destroying public property or abusing their freedom while fighting for the public welfare or with some other sidesplitting fictions. One can easily speculate from this picture how the political situation of Nepal is based on the wisdom and accountability of the leaders.
Who will govern Nepal in such a chaotic situation?
In response, Plato explains why philosophers make excellent sovereigns. He tells a story about a ship of fools where everyone thinks they know how to navigate the ship. In the dialogue, Socrates says: “Sometimes one side fails but the other succeeds better; then one side destroys the other or throws them overboard, and binds the good, honest captain hand and foot. . . . Little do fools realise that a captain must know everything about the stars, winds, currents, and other matters of the sea to steer a ship safely into port.”
Similarly, a wise ruler should know all about philosophy to build a coherent and just state. The philosopher-leader must govern reluctantly but with a sense of duty to do what is for the common good. The leader can then rule with power and people will have their real position in society. Plato finds many faults with democracy because a citizen can vote and hold office even if he is ignorant or incompetent far from logical reasoning and wisdom.
There are several scholarly definitions of modern democracy stated in books and articles. However, we must not heed the untrue assurances of leaders rather we should ask ourselves and question why we need democracy, what is democracy, how can we adopt the best democracy, what is the appropriate way to implement democracy, and why democracy is important.
The best answer to address these questions is the commitment to education as mentioned by Plato. It is essential to improve Nepal’s education system, especially institutions in the field of social sciences.
I am neither supporting nor negating democracy here, but I am afraid of the situation of “Modern Athens,” which may repeat the history of “Ancient Athens” after the Peloponnesian War where wisdom and reason are considered threats to the state.
