Plato wrote in The Laws that democracy and monarchy are the “mothers of regimes,” or that they serve as the foundation to other types of governing. Plato recommends a mix of the two to create balance while incorporating the voices of the people. Plato was very much against democracy, but in The Laws he showed some support for this newly popular way of governing. In the painting The School of Athens, Plato is seen in the center of many other influential and great minds, which shows his fame and reliability. By placing Plato in the center of other influential figures from different times, the painter shows the influence that Plato had on the people in his time.
Source:
Michels, Steven. “Democracy in Plato’s Laws.” Journal of Social Philosophy, vol. 35, no. 4, 2004, pp. 517–28. Crossref, doi:10.1111/j.1467-9833.2004.00251.x.
Image:
Urbino, Raffaello Sanzio da. The School of Athens. 1511, Wikimedia Commons.