Athenian Democracy and Meritocracy

Athenian Democracy and Meritocracy To what extent did the Athenian democracy live up to its ideology of being a meritocracy, and to what extent was power still in the hands of the wealthy? Athenian democracy was an evolving process in the 5 th century B.C. The concentration of power in the political establishment would change considerably from when the first seeds were planted until the voting citizenship was expanded and new leaders emerged towards the end of the century. Democracy was not instituted in the name of human rights but for pragmatic purposes and it is necessary that we look at it in this light when considering whether Athens was a meritocracy and whether the wealthy still held considerable power in Democratic Athens. It is certainly true that Athenian Democracy, like all systems, on paper differed considerably to how it was implemented. In this essay I will argue that Athenian Democracy was largely successful in implementing a state democracy in which, to a large extent, there were no obvious discrepan cies over who was favoured in matters of society and the state. I will show that the Athenian constitution largely kept the city as a meritocracy, making its citizens equal before the state in matters of legality and political power. However, I will also consider the limitations of Athenian Democracy and to what extent certain functions may have limited its success. I will argue that the power of the wealthy was in most respects limited by the structure of the state but was held back to some extent by the inevitable advantages that come from wealth. I will mainly be arguing that whatever limitations there were, they were not enough to have a damaging effect on democracy as a whole. The Athenian Democracy allowed that only adult males of Athenian ancestry were part of the democratic system, which overall made up around 10-20% of the demos. Slaves, freed slaves, children, women and metics (foreigners in Athens) were excluded. It is obvious from this that to label Athens as a meritoc racy in the modern sense is absurd. In this essay, I will consider Athens as a meritocracy in terms of the rights and opportunities of those who are citizens, not from those who aren’t and will therefore consider to what extent Athenian Democracy worked the way it was supposed to. The wealthy did not hold power to the extent that it harmed the democratic process. The wealthy certainly did have many advantages compared to the poor, but this is not necessarily any comment upon Athenian democracy simply an inevitability that those with wealth will be able to achieve more than those without. The wealthy had power but not to an extent that was greatly damaging to the state. When defining wealth, I will consider Aristotle’s definition as including money, land, real estate, furniture, livestock and a high quality and quantity of slaves (Rhet. 1361a12-16). There was most definitely a significant wealth inequality amongst Athens’s citizens whereby the leisure class (thos e who didn’t need to work as a result of family fortunes, nobility etc.) made up roughly 5-10% of the populace. This class barrier was certainly realised by the lower classes who often showed their resentment at the wealthy. However despite this inequality, they did not see this as particularly affecting when it came down to the political and legal powers of the people, as this inequality was grudgingly accepted. Wealth discrepancies were not seen as unjust as potential legal or political barriers that may have affected the citizens. (see Ober ch.5)

Read the Dunkin Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Read the Dunkin Case - Essay Example While the Dunkin’ Donut retail stores continue to expand, the Starbucks stores are closing by the hundreds. In the past Dunkin’ Donuts target markets where focused primarily in the Eastern part of the U.S. with little presence in the West. Starbucks already has a somewhat of a uniform distribution across the country which will constrain their growth as Dunkin’ Donuts expands into the West into untapped regions. Dunkin’ Donuts market strategy is different in that they are targeting a group of no frills, cost-conscious coffee drinkers. At Starbucks, there is a market segment that is willing to pay a premium for drinks like the ‘skinny half-caf soy caramel Macchiato’. While the market segment at Dunkin’ Donuts is focused at those who just want a consistent, well tasting, old fashioned brew of coffee that doesn’t exceed more than $3. (Mitchell, Dan). From the previously aforementioned statements, one can see how Starbucks marketing s trategy has always focused as much on the overall store experience as they have the product itself. With free Wi-Fi provided by ATT&T and a recent partnership with HP to provide music downloads in the store, Starbucks has positioned their efforts towards creating an upscale informal coffee shop and social experience. (DiCarlo, Lisa).

Journal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Journal - Research Paper Example The first one, â€Å"Boys and Girls†, lets the reader know that Nenny is still too young to be a friend to her sister and yet, the unnamed older sister is already looking forward to the time when Nenny will be old enough to be her friend and enjoy each others company. The sense of sibling love is quite strong in this story because she feels protective of her younger sister and looks out for her because not all the kids in their neighborhood are nice children and she does not want her sister exposed to any bad influences. The end of the story makes one wonder what might have become of the sisters after some years had passed. That is why it was nice to see the relationship progression in the second story â€Å"Our Good Day†. In â€Å"Our Good Day†, the readers learn that Nenny is no longer a little child. She is already old enough to be the friend of her sister and that the relationship between them is one filled with trust and care. It also shows that the older sister keeps her younger sibling in mind and is very happy to be able to share any good fortune that she might come into in life with her. However, the story that shows us the greatest development in the relationship of the sisters can be seen in the story â€Å"Laughter†. Look at that house, I said, it looks like Mexico. Rachel and Lucy look at me like I am crazy, but before they can let out a laugh, Nenny says yes: Yes, thats Mexico all right. Thats what I was thinking exactly. This shows that the sisters have reached a point in their sibling-ship where they know each other so well that they trust that the other will know what the one is trying to say. Even more impressive, is that the sisters already think alike. Which is a sign that the siblings are quite in-tune with one another and share more than just a superficial relationship. I guess that is why I enjoyed reading about these stories so much. The short stories give a sense of character development and