The Story of Democracy to Demagoguery

After Cleisthenis gave democracy to the world it evoluted with its age and got better with criticism.

In the dialogues of Plato, the founding father of Greek Philosophy – Socrates – is portrayed as hugely pessimistic about the whole concept of democracy. In Book Six of The Republic, Plato describes Socrates in a conversation with a character called Adeimantus to get him to see the flaws of democracy by comparing a society to a ship. Socrates asked, If you are on a journey by sea, who would you want to be in charge of the ship? Just anyone or people who are educated in driving a ship?

Socrates’s point is that voting in an election is a skill, not a random intuition. And like any skill, it needs to be taught systematically to people. Letting the citizenry vote without an education is as irresponsible as putting them in charge of a ship sailing in a storm.

Crucially, Socrates was not elitist in the normal sense. He didn’t believe that a narrow few should only ever vote. He did, however, insist that only those who had thought about issues rationally and deeply should be let near a vote.

WTP - Voting Debates: Our Story

The Challange

We have forgotten this distinction between an intellectual democracy and a democracy by birthright. We have given the vote to all without connecting it to that of wisdom. And Socrates knew exactly where that would lead: to a system the Greeks feared above all, demagoguery.

He asked us to imagine an election debate between two candidates, one who was like a doctor and the other who was like a sweet shop owner.

We have forgotten all about Socrates’s salient warnings against democracy. We have preferred to think of democracy as an unambiguous good – rather than a process that is only ever as effective as the education system that surrounds it.

But unfortunately the world does not have a structured curriculum on the Skill to Vote.

WTP - Voting Debates: Text

Our Solution - Voting Skill Curriculum

How to skill a future voter without actually teaching it to them, because you cannot teach a subject like voting in today's world without the accusations of being biased.

WTP - Voting Debates: Text

Voting Debates

Giving the future voter multiple fast track experiences of the working of democracy. Simply, giving them multiple opportunities to elect a leader and see the impact of their elected leader on their personal lives.

WTP - Voting Debates: Welcome

What is a Voting Debate?

So the World Teen Parliament - Voting Debates:

A 60 minute online debate, where debaters share their opinions on varied topics of imminent importance and the winner is decided by the votes of the audience who has joined the call.

Once the winner is elected, he/she gets to exercise the three core powers of a parliament.

1. Write a law for the voters.

2. Impose a tax on the voters.

3. Grant a subsidy to the voters.

This is followed by an open floor discussion with the voters on their feedback of the decisions taken by the winner.

WTP - Voting Debates: Text

What does the winner of

the Voting Debate get?

Getting Elected to the World Teen Parliament

Coverage in the Blub World Magazine

Certificate of Accomplishment from WTP

*Terms and Conditions Apply

WTP - Voting Debates: List

Giving Teens an Experience of the Voter Lifecycle of Democracy (Learning Outcome)

This program gives the teenagers a fast track experience from casting a vote to experiencing the impact of his or her vote on their lives.

1. Voter identifies a leader after listening to debaters

2. Voting for the chosen debater in the Elections to give them power

3. Winner takes decisions on behalf of the voter.

4. Leaders' decisions Impact Voter's life &

the skill to vote develops

WTP - Voting Debates: List

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WTP - Voting Debates: Text