Athenian democracy provided a fundamental and archetypal foundation for the contemporary political landscape witnessed today. Socrates' vigilant efforts to democratize truth are demonstrative of an exorbitant level of consciousness that irrefutably surpasses that of the polis by comparative measure; Socrates renounced this sociopolitical structure to focus on the search for higher forms of truth. Consequently, Socrates possessed the philosophical insight necessary to distinguish the difference between the true nature of justice and its respective antithetical form, injustice. By the nature of his philosophizing, Socrates was considered an “external critic” to whom he thoughtfully produced a more refined perspective of citizenship called Socratic citizenship, or otherwise known as rational citizenship. The essence of his political model allows for the sociopolitical rectification of perceived injustices in order to enable citizens to rightly achieve happiness and live a good life through his perceptual model. This analysis posits the controversial idea that Socrates' adverse nature towards the status quo established by the Athenian state is representative of a true paradigmatic citizen, in contrast to the aforementioned model of citizenship performed by Pericles. Simply put, the nature of progress as it pertains to the state is based on rational thinking and a comprehensive understanding of the origins of recurring injustices. With this, one understands that philosophizing or philosophizing is an integral part of social progress and the underlying reasoning as to why being an external critic is more important than that of an active participant. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Periclean's ideal civilization is characterized by community, relationships, and ultimately a society of friends. Based on this premise, Aristotelian theory agrees with Periclean citizenship ideology which emphasizes humanity's intrinsic desires and the "good life" – ideals of the Athenian state which, according to Aristotle, are attainable in a state where a citizen "shares in the administration of justice and the exercise of offices" (33-34)3 The achievement of the above-mentioned ideas probably neglects "free time" due to a particular focus on specialized work that helps to support individualized needs of each individual citizen. Pericles builds on this premise to which he states that "here each individual is interested not only in his own affairs but also in the affairs of the state". It is essential to highlight the Athenian concern for selfless dedication to specialized work for improvement of others and that of the state. Furthermore, Pericles' ideological premise for citizenship includes a state consisting of a social caste system, drastic gender inequality, slavery, and legal disenfranchisement that highlights the oppressive nature that coincides with the collectivized work. In this regard, Athenian democracy was more oppressive with respect to its hierarchical social structure and the prerequisites imposed on citizenship. Citizenship in Athens was reserved exclusively for males and generally granted through inheritance within family lines. Civic participation for women did not include voting, rather they were often confined to the role of "housewives" and were not allowed to roam freely around the city like those who were more privileged. Individuals of lower status within the stratified hierarchical structure were disadvantaged with respect to state protection and were considered nothing more than working individuals. The goalPericles' predominant emphasis was building a sense of community and mutual service. This statement is confirmed by his speech at the funeral oration in which he states: “we make friends by doing good to others, not by receiving good from them. This makes our friendship even more reliable, since we want to keep alive the gratitude of those who are indebted to us, showing them continued benevolence." In essence, this does not imply any degree of inefficiency with respect to Athenian democracy, rather, it serves as a basis for explaining the injustice witnessed by Socrates as a result of interdependence and the absence of opportunity with respect to social mobility. Nonetheless, Periclean's political model of citizenship otherwise prohibits the Athenian people from truly satisfying their underlying individual needs and the resulting human desire to discover that which inspires happiness within themselves. It is at this particular juncture that challenges fall to Pericles' model of citizenship and otherwise. impact the philosophical and political premises that Socrates devoutly promotes and subscribes to. Socrates abstained from the collective actions of the city because he perceived active participation as a complicit submission to authority and tradition. Socrates is predominantly fixated on developing a conscious awareness at which one's soul experiences a philosophical ascension towards truth; this soulful transcendence is the catalyst behind the soul's metaphorical attunement to all that is true and good in the world. As a result, one can distinguish between what is right and what is unjust and act in accordance with those realizations in order to create a more perfect, adaptive and ever-evolving society. Socrates approached indiscriminately all who would listen to his public exposition of true ignorance, a notion that was a respective corollary of his concern to discover higher truths that formed his political model of Socratic citizenship. Socrates asks the Athenians to whom he states: "Think then that I would have survived so many years if I had been publicly active and had acted in a manner worthy of a good man, coming to the aid of the right things and, as one should, consider these as the most important?” His incessant questions to the citizens of Athens stemmed from an innate desire to provide the precursor tools for the purposes of individual discovery; ideals that refer to truth, wisdom and justice that are both favorable and essential for progress of the state. The use of the word progression connotatively refers to the refinement of social norms, in order to create an inclusive society with notable equality, in contrast to the Periclean model of citizenship which is systematically oppressive and unjust by nature , Socrates states: “I will certainly not stop philosophizing, and I will exhort you and explain it to any of you I meet, and I will talk about the very things to which I am accustomed.” The above statement is contextually devoid of the origins of injustice, particularly in a relatively successful democratic regime like Athens. However, the main point of Socrates' criticism of Athenian democracy is that it is based on the intuition and whims of the majority. In other words, the democratic process is arguably devoid of rational thought or philosophical principles with respect to governance and decision-making. Instead, in reference to the principle of justice, Socrates argues against the disorderly structure of the Athenian state by stating that "every man believes that injustice is much more advantageous to the individual than justice" creating the premise of state-led corruption led by vices, or selfish behavior The apparent.