Democracies may be as oppressive as oligarchies if the right of the individual to challenge the prevailing ideas and morals of the majority is set aside. Safeguarding speech requires checks and balances that are strong enough to temper the fears and passions of a populace such as that which wielded direct political and judicial power in Athens. Once the civic commitment to parrhēsía broke down, the fine line between egalitarian democracy and revanchist mob rule was blurred and those who, like Socrates, offended the deepest convictions of their fellow citizens were at the mercy of popular
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