An Analysis of the Critiques of Democracy from the Perspective of Political Philosophy

One of the most important questions that political philosophers throughout history have asked is the question of the best kind of political system, and one of the most popular methods of governing throughout history is democracy, as many political thinkers believe that the philosophy of politics emerged essentially with the emergence of the crisis of Athenian democracy. Therefore, this article seeks to show that democracy has never been a superior and worthy system in comparison with other conventional forms of governance, and has become famous because of being criticized by philosophers of politics. Democracy has always faced criticism from great critics such as Plato and Aristotle in ancient Greece and the authors of the Federalist articles – e.g., Hegel, Tocqueville, and Mill - in modern times. Hence, they critically analyzed the dangers of democracy, such as the tyranny of the majority, the despotism of custom, and populism, which added to the rise and reputation of democracy, such a way that it became the most popular form of government in the twentieth century.