Democracy suffers when navigated by a ship of fools

Abridged and edited article by Lloyd Axworthy

Special to The Globe and Mail a Canadian Newspaper

Directed to Canadians but applicable to the United States.

Almost 2,400 years ago, Plato wrote a mocking allegory in his dialogue The Republic, depicting how in democracies, leaders emerge who use the electoral process to amass personal power and proceed to govern autocratically. He likened such leaders to sailors who knew nothing of navigation yet claimed the right to steer the ship, leading to irrational decisions and chaos – a “ship of fools.”

Over the succeeding centuries, Plato’s allegory has been used to highlight the importance of good leadership and the risks of governing with ignorance and malfeasance. It serves as a warning about the perils of populism and demagoguery.

The potential second term of Donald Trump has given new meaning to this metaphor. The crew of miscreants that Mr. Trump is bringing on board the Washington ship of state, coupled with his pronouncements that they are chosen solely because of their loyalty to him and his mission of undermining democratic governance, has renewed questions about how democracies can be transformed into autocracies.

He is not unique. An epidemic of far-right political movements is under way globally, exploiting the civic malaise brought on by the pandemic, surging migration, growing inequality, and inflationary increases to mobilize discontent and translate it into electoral success.

American journalist and historian Anne Applebaum has warned that these autocratic movements have aligned into sophisticated networks that undermine democracy. They share common interests in power and wealth, often supporting each other financially and politically to destabilize democratic societies.

In these turbulent times, we need not a ship of fools but a ship of reason – a vessel steered by leaders who understand navigation, who respect the complexity of democratic governance and who are committed to charting a course through challenging waters with wisdom, transparency and genuine public service.

Our democratic journey requires not blind loyalty or reactionary impulses but thoughtful leadership that can unite rather than divide, that can inspire rather than incite and that can restore faith in our collective ability to navigate toward a more just and hopeful horizon.