Democracy is a topic widely studied by political philosophers around the world. Plato was one of these philosophers. Plato believed that “democracy […] is a fascinating form of government, full of truth and disorder; and dispense a sort of equality both between equals and unequals.” An analysis of ancient Athenian democracy and the Republic provides great understanding of the statement in its context. The statement itself is valid, but Plato doesn't seem to mean what he said. The statement itself has two main parts that one must understand to fully understand the statement. Plato wrote the Republic in 380 BC, in Athens (Spark Notes Editors). The first part of the statement discusses the variety and disorder found in Athenian democracy. This section discusses the issue of the use of the "lotto" system and freedom of opinion and speech. The "lotto" system and freedom of opinion and speech cause much variety in the polis (Breaugh, Lesson 3). When Plato refers to disorder, he is referring to the civil unrest involved in the transition to democracy (Breaugh, Lesson 3). Plato may also be referring to the lack of harmony due to the level of freedom offered in the Athenian democracy (Saxonhouse, 279). Freedom can cause civil unrest due to differences of opinion presented by a variety of people. The second part of the statement discusses equality within democratic Athens. This section basically discusses the principle of isonomy, which was the fundamental principle of Athenian democracy (Breaugh, Lesson 3). Democracy guarantees a sort of equality because, according to Plato, the different classes of citizens are equal, but only politically, not socially. This also did not apply to the...mid-paper revolution...". University of York, Toronto. 31 October 2011. Lecture 6.Doody, Rodney. "Democracy ancient and modern: the polis as a way of life". York University, Toronto. 26 September 2011. Lecture 2.Manin, Bernard. The Principles of Representative Government. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1997. Print.Saxonhouse, Arlene W. "Democracy, Equality and Eidê: A Radical View from Book 8 of Plato's Republic." The American Political Science Review 72.2 (1998) 273-283. Network. October 21, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2585663.SparkNotes Editors. "SparkNotes on The Republic." SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. Network. October 18, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/republic.htmlSantas, Gerasimos. “PLATO'S CRITIQUES OF DEMOCRACY IN THE REPUBLIC.” and social policy, (2007): 70-89. 23 October. 2011.