The South African elections have exposed a political world characterised by a saturation of noisy opinion and a lack of ethics. But, Thiven Reddy writes, there is a way through this without reverting to the divisive authoritarian politics of South Africa’s history. Hannah Arendt reminds us that the ancient Greek marriage of philosophy and politics can create a better, more inclusive society.

In a time of potential dramatic change in South Africa, the death of Socrates provides us with a model of dialogue, friendship, and politics that can help us navigate the problems of civic society. A key theme surrounding modern electoral politics – think US elections and Trump, or currently in South Africa – is opinion and its consequences. Drawing from a reading of Hannah Arendt, I want to make the case that politics is nothing without opinion. Yet, even though opinion is necessary in politics, we must emphasize the ancient Greek argument that politics driven exclusively by opinion suppresses the role of personal ethics and conscience, which in turn represses the political will to find the good life. A philosophical approach to political opinion can orient it away from harm towards the public good.