Athenian Democracy

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The principles of democracy today when compared to the time it was declared two centuries ago has not changed although new features were introduced and being practiced today. The student argues that additional components of democracy were considered because as civilization progresses, democracy adjusts to the issues and demands of the civilization. Nonetheless, the student maintains that the principles of democracy as declared more than two centuries ago are still visible and being practiced. Democracy during the Classical era was considered to be the worst yet it survived and it did not vanish into oblivion. When it survived the critics of its parents, which are the Athenian philosophers as well as the different challenges of history, it inevitably …show more content…
First is the capacity to rule and being ruled in return while the second criteria of liberty is the capacity of an individual to live in accordance to his or her preference. Citizenship matters in classical Athens for the reason that this concept legitimizes an individual in taking part on the affairs of the state. Liberty during this time does not necessarily mean that one is a citizen because one may be free but is not considered as a citizen. Ergo, it is only the citizens of Athens that can directly participate in the decision-making of the state. Athens imposed a highly restricted citizenship in which only 20-year old male strictly with Athenian descent can participate actively while women do not have any political or civil rights nor the immigrants of Athens (Held, …show more content…
This third principle, the student claims, goes hand in hand with democracy. Respect for law and justice may at first constitute a belief that it go against with the freedom of an individual. But as stated before, liberty also includes being ruled by someone the citizens’ trust. This principle is still put forth by different democratic states and this includes the Philippines. Respect for law and justice provided in democratic arena provides a sense of ownership of the citizens to the acts they are going to commit because even though they have may live according to their preference, an order is needed to be established and should not
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