The Face Of Despotism
Across the seas of history despotism has risen time and time again. Tyrants have ruled many lands in many times, more often than not to the great detriment of their peoples. But it is not the selfish and evil despot that does the greatest harm; it is the tyrant who enforces his rule for what he sees as the good of his people that does the longest lasting and most grievous harm, and is the one most to be feared.
The groundwork of mischief is this. A man fancies that he knows what is best for other men; that he is better acquainted with their sources of happiness than they can be; that he has more appropriate knowledge, and having more power, that he can turn his knowledge to good account on their behalf. He has formed his own estimate of good he is thoroughly persuaded that such and such a thing is good, and being good, he will compel others to receive and to adopt it, because it is good, and because he knows, from experience, it is so.
Yet despotism never takes a worse shape than when it comes in the guise of benevolence; and is never more dangerous than when it acts under the impression that it represents beneficence.
— Jeremy Bentham
Deontology; or, The Science of Morality
Benevolence may be nothing but the pale and impotent shadow of virtue when it does not lead to pragmatic beneficence, but this benevolence can also lead to the worst sort of tyranny when one man or an oligarchy decides that they know what is best for society.
One can look back and see that some of this happened under the Bush administration. A certain pragmatic despotism was enacted for the sake of what they thought was the greater good of America.
One must also look forward though. The Liberals are now in power and they have a long history of personally invasive legislation, all or most of which is meant to be for our own good. It would be best if America kept itself wary, lest these Liberals enact a “nanny state” who despotism will wear a kindly face, but whose iron fist will strike as hard as any other tyrant’s.
Tags: Ethics & Morality | Liberals | Obama | Politics
March 2nd, 2009 at 1:46 pm
I am going to go out a limb here. Don’t you feel that Despotism is the basis of the American government? Isn’t it safe to infer that the US government, and all democracies for that matter, are designed in a way that the elite stay in power while the working class remain under heel. All elite, throughout the history of democracies and republics, have always taken the stance that they know better than the working class, and it is in their right to pass laws to protect the working class from themselves. This can be seen countless times throughout history, especially US history.
The beauty of American despotism is the way in which it is accomplished … very well thought out Propaganda. From the days of workers revolts in the 20s (and well before, to be honest), the propaganda machine has been used to villianize those that cared more about the working class than the elite, while solidifying the elites standing in the process. While Bush’s example can not be contested, and Obama is showing all the right signs, this is nothing new. Ronald Reagan could be a poster boy for Despotism, immensly strengthening the elite with his ‘trickle down’ economy. While there are those that will argue that this ‘worked’ in some way to lift the US economy, they fail to take into account that it lifted the USA because the rich got MUCH richer, while the poor and middle class got only a little poorer.
March 2nd, 2009 at 8:34 pm
Great post, and I actually (mostly) agree with you, but in fairness, conservatives have a long history of personally invasive legislation too. The two sides just disagree on what what issues they’re going to be invasive about.
March 2nd, 2009 at 8:36 pm
I love the timer that lets me edit myself for a few minutes after I comment. It’s like you have 4 minutes and 32 seconds to be more profound. 31. 30. 29…
No pressure. =)
March 2nd, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Thank you and welcome, Judy.
I think that Conservatives are far less in favor of personally invasive legislation than the Liberals though. That’s not to say that they’re completely devoid of the behavior though. It could be argued that the Pro-Life position is personally invasive. Of course it could also be argued that the Pro-Choice / Pro-Abortion is personally invasive – since being murdered is quite personal and invasive.
Yeah, the timer on editing comments is something I get a kick out of too. 😉
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:17 pm
Despotism seems to be a bit of an abstract concept.
In one way or another any authoritative power can be labeled as such.
That is why a balance of power is needed. The people choose their leaders and their leaders (hopefully) represent their people well. However liberalism calls for more government involvement in just about everything, and that is invasive in itself.
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:16 am
Despotism isn’t really an abstract concept. In a titularly democratic framework it is when the elected leaders choose to not represent their people and their people’s will, but choose instead to rule them through some form of fiat or another.
You’re right about the invasive nature of Liberalism though…
April 19th, 2009 at 8:06 am
[…] well for the Liberals’ constituency or for their dreams of an egalitarian state where all are supported from cradle to grave by the […]
July 4th, 2009 at 10:01 am
[…] not either reflect upon the fact that we ousted a tyrant in 1776 to birth a nation but allowed a worse despot to take the reins of power in 2009, or gather together to shout out our just rage and swear to end […]
August 13th, 2009 at 9:30 am
[…] and more power into their own hands in the federal government – admittedly, possibly with the best of intentions. The groundwork of mischief is this. A man fancies that he knows what is best for other men; that […]
December 8th, 2009 at 7:16 am
Hi jonolan;
You have worded it perfectly, the “nanny state” 🙂
When I was twelve years old, I enjoyed more freedoms than I do today. Sad isn’t it?
December 8th, 2009 at 11:30 am
Thanks, ichabod. I wish I had coined the term, but “nanny state” was first used in a public forum by British MP Iain MacLeod back in 1965.
I does perfectly sum up totalitarianism “for you own good” though, doesn’t it.
March 17th, 2010 at 9:32 am
[…] Congress nor the President serves the People any longer and seeks instead to rule over us – for our own good, of course – we are looking at both a Dead Congress and Dead President […]
May 9th, 2010 at 10:24 am
[…] fear the jackbooted thugs of the dictator, but so many in America gladly accept the more kindly face that despotism normally […]
May 15th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
[…] course doing this for our own good – or so they will continue to claim just as all titularly beneficent tyrants do, often even as the People place a well-earned noose around their […]
May 28th, 2010 at 10:16 am
[…] Mini-me being his nominee makes more and more sense and it seems she bodes as ill for our nation as Obama so far […]
August 23rd, 2010 at 2:15 pm
[…] People of America. It is always good for any free people when a would-be tyrant, especially one who sees himself as beneficent, is […]
December 15th, 2016 at 2:49 am
[…] This is a useful and cunning course of action for the would-be demagogue or tyrant. […]
December 18th, 2016 at 4:28 pm
[…] the American perspective, it doesn’t matter if its a cruel, classical tyranny or the benevolent despotism of the Nanny […]