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Re: "You rang, mortal?"
Posted By: Martel (inktomi2-ltn.server.ntl.com)
Date: 2/25/2003 at 6:38 p.m.
In Response To: Re: "You rang, mortal?" (Phil)
: No matter how lofty the goals or how seemingly thorough
: the selection process may seem, dictatorships and
: oligarchies are entirely dependant on the absolute
: trustworthiness of those in charge. It doesn't take
: much experience to know that such a thing can't be
: counted on. Absolute power corrupts absolutely,
: regardless of IQ, testing, ability, or good
: intentions.
And oligarchs don't have absolute power, since the views of any individual are moderated by the views of the Council as a whole. One of the benefits of having multiple individuals in power: each can keep an eye on the other ones.
Eventually the seat of power would be bent
: to serve the will of those who control it. Even if
: those who control the power intended to use it for
: what they believe to be just causes, their own agendas
: would cloud the issue and the rights and liberty of
: the people would be in jeopardy. Such a situation
: would be unavoidable.
And you honestly think that doesn't happen in a democracy? I'm no expert on the workings of the American governmental system (I'm British), but, as I understand it, the President is supposed to act to enforce the will of the people as a whole. Unfortunately, he has very little way of knowing what the will of the people as a whole is, other than that the majority of them thought that what he promised to do was a good idea (not necessarily the same as what he actually /will/ do). Therfore, he feels justified in taking whatever course of action he deems best for their good. Which is where personal agendas and opinions creep in, even in the most well-intentioned individuals.
: Throughout history people have tried to construct
: governments where through the consolidation of power,
: progress came at an incredible rate. And every one of
: these governments failed. Often spectacularly and
: violently. The communists, the socialists, even the
: Spartan oligarchists all had the noble goals of peace,
: unity, and equality in mind when they established
: their governments. And all wound up being responsible
: for some of the most appalling human rights violations
: of their time.
True, but that's coming from a very modern perspective. The Spartans were a military society, and, from their point of view, Helots and Barbaroi didn't /have/ human rights to be violated. If anything, Sparta collapsed because its system was too rigid: it was dependant on its core of Similars both for the stability of its government and for the power of its military. There were many ways one could be ejected from the Similars, but very few ways that one could be elevated to their ranks. Further, the Similars took the brunt of casualties of war, since Sparta relied heavily on these elite warriors for their military victories. Sparta ultimately failed, yes, but not through any flaw of their government, but rather an erosion of the power which lay behind their government.
: Spreading the power around (to everyone in a democracy,
: to everyone's representatives in a republic) our
: system ensures that change comes slowly, if at all.
: But it also ensures that everyone has a say in which
: direction that change will go. It ensures that the
: minority has a voice.
Not really, since the minority will always be shouted down by the majority.
It ensures that no one group of
: people can deprive another group their rights, even if
: they feel it's just.
If the majority demand it, they can. Look at the various purges of Communists during Cold War America. Heck, look at Nazi Germany (okay, I admit, Hitler didn't achieve power by strict democratic processes, but the fact remains that the majority of Germans at the time /did/ strongly dislike Jews.) Essentially, one of the greatest problems with placing power in the hands of the people is that, as a whole, they have a tendancy to panic when something surprises of threatens them. In Animal Farm, Orwell used sheep as a metaphor for the common people, but there's an important difference: when sheep panic, they don't bite the sheep standing next to them.
Martel.
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