WARSAW -- Ever since democracy appeared in ancient Athens, it has generated suspicion among those who believe that humanity’s highest purpose is virtue, not freedom. In the Eighth Book of The Republic , Plato rather unceremoniously defines political leaders in a democracy as “those who deprive the rich of their estates to distribute them among the people, at the same time taking care to reserve the larger part for themselves.”
Už od doby, kdy se demokracie objevila ve starých Aténách, vyvolávala podezření mezi těmi, kdo se domnívají, že nejvyšším cílem lidstva není svoboda, nýbrž ctnost.