Politics, Then and Now

[ladynox25]

Now suppose we describe the happiness of man and city, in which such a creature would make his appearance....Well, then, at first, in the early days, he greets everyone he meets with a broad smile; says he is no tyrant, and promises all sorts of things in private and in public, frees them from their debts and parcels out the land to the people and to those about him, pretends to be gracious and friendly to all the world....As to outside enemies, when he has made terms with some and destroyed others, I take it, and when all is quiet from that source, he is forever stirring up some war in order that the people may want a leader....And moreover, in order that they may become poor by having to pay taxes, and stick to their daily round, and be less likely to plot against him....And if he suspects that any harbour a free spirit and will not endure his rule, he wants an excuse to destroy them by exposing them to the enemy. For all these reasons the tyrant must always be stirring up war....You may expect that some of those who helped to set him up, the bravest of them, being now in power themselves, will speak freely before him and among themselves, and reproach him with what is happening....So he must quietly get rid of all these if he is to rule, until not a single one is left, either friend or foe, who is of any use.

---from Plato's Republic, translation by W.H.D. Rouse

(I omitted all the responses of Socrates' companion, who was essentially agreeing with each point he made.)

Comments

[silmaril.livejournal.com]

I might have skipped this comment too, because all I'm doing is essentially nodding.

It's true that there is always change. And I don't cotton on to the "the more things change, the more they stay the same" school of thought. But it is also true that there are a few principles [1] that have always been and probably always will be applicable.

[1] Used for lack of a better word; I don't consider some people who have certain principles "principled" people at all. Don't you just love English?

[texas-tiger.livejournal.com]

The irony is, that to Plato, tyranny is the absolute worst form of government. Yet his ideal form of government, aristocracy (as it is translated in my version; the rule of specially trained guardians) is no more palatable to us today, being very much like a tolitalitarian communistic government, with everything held in common, wives, children, property, and state run censorship, among other things. I think he would have been astonished at Stalin (and other Communist tyrants) who seems to have combined the two extremes.