[lit-ideas] Re: Theory of democracy...
- From: Andy Amago <aamago@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 16:55:57 -0700 (PDT)
-----Original Message-----
From: John McCreery <mccreery@xxxxxxx>
Sent: Aug 26, 2004 6:57 PM
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Theory of democracy...
Are the institutions that the Founders created perfect? Of course not.=20=
But who among us would prefer the institutions of imperial Rome in the=20=
era depicted in "I Claudius"? Or those of the German States during the=20=
Thirty Years War? Or those of imperial China when a dynasty was falling=20=
apart? Do we really believe the astonishing claim, based on a highly=20
tendentious reading of a mere couple of recent decades of North=20
American history, that we already live in this sort of society?
Can our rulers make stupid mistakes, be motivated by simplistic and=20
clearly erroneous ideas, and take actions with catastrophic=20
consequences? Clearly the answer is "Yes." It has ever been so,=20
throughout human history. Does any other system of government offer a=20
better hope of correction than a democratic republic in which their=20
errors can be recognized and the perpetrators voted out of office?
I await a convincing answer, and Philosopher Kings, Omniscient=20
Computers, and similar fantasies will not do.
A.A. The system the Founders created is nearly perfect. It has withstood the
vicissitudes of 200+ years; spectacular changes in lifestyle, philosophy,
constituencies, civil war, world wars, bad leadership, economic turmoil, and so
on. And still it functions. It is truly a living work of art. The
parliamentary system is comparable, but I'm having trouble reconciling
Mussolini's place in it. I suspect our checks and balances would prevent such
an event here.
The 20th century proved beyond a doubt that philosopher kings and "benevolent
dictators" rot from within. They are, as you say, a fantasy. It's not for no
reason that most countries today either are or claim to be democracies.
Andy Amago
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