There is nothing new under the Sun. What has been will be again unless we heed the lessons of history. Democracy, the rule of the many, is as old as the Ancients and what drove their states to ruin can drive ours to ruin too. So will we rise up from our apathetic slumber and listen to wisdom?
Are the USA and the UK “Pure Democracies”? Should they be?
As Aristotle taught us, there are three general species of government: Rule of the one, rule of the few and rule of the many. Each of these, in the presence of virtue, can lead to good governance, but each in turn is tragically capable of corruption and decay.
Monarchy can descend into tyranny.
Aristocracy, rule of the best, can descend into oligarchy, rule of the rich.
And the Free State can descend into democracy. You heard that correctly: “descend into democracy”. To this we will return.
Where the officials in any of these systems cease to think about the good of the whole in favour of the good of their demographic, disaster inevitably lies.
A wise King like David may rule justly, acting with virtue, deciding with justice and aiming for the good of the entire nation, but a foolish King, who only thinks about his own wealth and power to the detriment of the whole, is a despicable tyrant.
In a pure meritocracy, the term Aristotle describes as aristocracy, the most talented in society can rule for the betterment of all, but human corruption is such that their thoughts will quickly turn to their own aggrandizement.
Such corruption is equally inevitable in a system which prioritizes majority rule. Only where there is a free constitutional state, that which Aristotle describes as a Polity, is a responsible mass-franchise government of virtue possible. A mixed system that represents the interests of all classes encourages good decision making and - above all - stability.
