Part 2/9:

Plato's dialogues portray Socrates as a fierce critic of democracy. In Book Six of The Republic, he engages in a conversation with Adeimantus, illustrating the inadequacies of democratic decision-making through a poignant analogy. Socrates asks Adeimantus who should captain a ship on a perilous voyage—any randomly chosen individual or one educated in seafaring. Naturally, Adeimantus acknowledges the need for educated mariners. Socrates then connects this reasoning to political leadership, asserting that voting in elections entails a similar skill set that ought to be cultivated rather than left to chance.