Values Of Ancient Athenian Democracy
Introduction:
This essay will answer the question through the assessment of values that the ancient Athenians attributed to their concept of democracy. ‘Mean’ is a very general word, and in this question could allow for all manner of possible answers, those focused on the practice of democracy, on the legal meaning, etc. But ‘mean’ implies interpretation and a certain degree of subjectivity by those trying to derive meaning. In this case, the term will refer to how the Athenians, as a people, perceived their democracy, in terms of both the political institutions and social life. I am interested in whether demokratia was a way of life for the ancient Athenians. Thus, values are central to this discussion, for it is through values that people …show more content…
This is evident in the Ekklesia, the Assembly of the citizens. In this gathering, each citizen was able to participate through voting and through speaking to the Assembly (Blackwell, 2003). As well as this, any citizen could put themselves forward to be chosen on other bodies of government, such as the Council. This upheld equality was stretched even further in the choosing of citizens for positions ; it was by lottery, thus mathematically giving the same chance to each and every candidate for the position.
Political equality is well evidenced. However, if Athens was a democracy, to function stably and in keeping with its principles, this equality could not reasonably be confined to the political system. Socially, economically: these two further areas could determine whether demokratia meant so much to the Athenians that its values permeated the polis as a …show more content…
While equality can be measured in such ways as the possession of wealth, can liberty be measured similarly? Freedom was a value not unique to ancient Athens. The idea of autonomy was prevalent among poleis throughout Greece (Klosko, 2006). However, that was the autonomy of the state; Athenians took freedom further by applying it to the individual, both politically and legally; it was a core value in Athenian democracy (Hansen, 1991:74; Held, 1987; Jones, 1953:4). To examine the meaning of liberty to the Athenians, it is possible to study the laws. Liberty was enshrined in the constitution (Hansen, 1991:72-78); citizens had rights, such as the right to free speech, and these rights were protected (to an extent)
This essay will answer the question through the assessment of values that the ancient Athenians attributed to their concept of democracy. ‘Mean’ is a very general word, and in this question could allow for all manner of possible answers, those focused on the practice of democracy, on the legal meaning, etc. But ‘mean’ implies interpretation and a certain degree of subjectivity by those trying to derive meaning. In this case, the term will refer to how the Athenians, as a people, perceived their democracy, in terms of both the political institutions and social life. I am interested in whether demokratia was a way of life for the ancient Athenians. Thus, values are central to this discussion, for it is through values that people …show more content…
This is evident in the Ekklesia, the Assembly of the citizens. In this gathering, each citizen was able to participate through voting and through speaking to the Assembly (Blackwell, 2003). As well as this, any citizen could put themselves forward to be chosen on other bodies of government, such as the Council. This upheld equality was stretched even further in the choosing of citizens for positions ; it was by lottery, thus mathematically giving the same chance to each and every candidate for the position.
Political equality is well evidenced. However, if Athens was a democracy, to function stably and in keeping with its principles, this equality could not reasonably be confined to the political system. Socially, economically: these two further areas could determine whether demokratia meant so much to the Athenians that its values permeated the polis as a …show more content…
While equality can be measured in such ways as the possession of wealth, can liberty be measured similarly? Freedom was a value not unique to ancient Athens. The idea of autonomy was prevalent among poleis throughout Greece (Klosko, 2006). However, that was the autonomy of the state; Athenians took freedom further by applying it to the individual, both politically and legally; it was a core value in Athenian democracy (Hansen, 1991:74; Held, 1987; Jones, 1953:4). To examine the meaning of liberty to the Athenians, it is possible to study the laws. Liberty was enshrined in the constitution (Hansen, 1991:72-78); citizens had rights, such as the right to free speech, and these rights were protected (to an extent)