Brant Vogt CC102P 2/9/09 First of all, I do not buy Socrates’ argument that democracy is naturally followed by tyranny just because one absolute must be followed by the entirely opposite absolute, e.g. rule by majority followed by the rule of one. Instead, the most likely occurrence will be the slow diminution of the number of rulers over a certain number of years. I will explain, and in doing so I will create my own ladder of constitutions. At the top of the ladder is a constitutional democracy. This is a democracy in which there are many fail-safes that have the power of checks and balances, to stop the majority from oppressing the minority, or vice-versa. In order for a constitutional democracy to continue onward a complex education system must be set up in such a way that it is possible to enlighten the masses toward a better understanding of the world around them. This education system will also instill a set of values (similar to those of Socrates) in them that must halt the human instincts that we all have that want to do injustices, such as lying, rape, or murder. However, contradictory to Socrates’ educational program, the unbiased truth must be taught to all students over all subject areas. This will eventually lead to the rational understanding that human life must have the highest possible value, not only to the individual, but to the mob as well. The second constitution is what is known as a customary democracy. The basis of this constitution is that the mob rules. The reason for the decay of constitution is based on the fact that our educational system is flawed. It is not up to the standard that must be met in order to keep the constitutional democracy. There is reason to believe that this is why Plato rejected the idea of democracy. He believed it was truly implausible to teach the entire population the morals he valued, such as moderation (something definitely not valued today). And I agree it is quite a daunting task that would need to be...