Sharing Julius Skoolafish important comment
Thank you so much Phi. Some deep and valuable thoughts here. I tend to be carried along in general resonance with almost everything you say – and you introduce me to several new sources. Where we may see certain things somewhat differently, or see the same symptoms but have come to a different conclusion, this is not a matter of disagreement but an opportunity to share in a few more steps along this journey together.
I hesitate to tread in deep water, but we almost need to go back to the transition from the hunter/gatherer phase to the agricultural/domesticated phase of man’s existence and ponder how the commune, village, town, city and ultimately the concept of the State evolved. At some point along this path there had to have been a natural process of specialisation and delegation of central tasks and services (such as digging toilet trenches or collecting and disposing of waste) while others hunted, made cloth, prepared food and eventually forged the wheel and other revolutionary tools.
I see so many good articles and comments here and there such as this one by Curt Kastens on ‘Systemic Disorder’ in which he opines “If humans could go back 12,000 years and do it all over again should they remain hunter gatherers?” …
But before we gat back to what Adolf Hitler actually said and what his true intentions were, I was triggered to offer the following segue to Catherine II (Catherine The Great):
“To shield herself and to make life bearable, she turned again to books. That winter she read the “Annals” of Tacitus, Montesquieu’s “L’Espirit des Lois” (“The Spirit of Laws”) and Voltaire’s “Esai sur les Moeurs et L’Espirit des Nations” (“Essay on the Manners and Spirit of Nations”).
[…]
[On Voltaire …] Reason, not religion [] should govern the world. But certain human beings must act as reason’s representatives on earth. This led him to the role of despotism and to conclude that a despotic government may actually be the best sort of government possible – if it were reasonable. But to be reasonable, it must be enlightened; if enlightened, it may be both efficient and benevolent.
[…]
Catherine, like many of her contemporaries was charmed by Voltaire. […]
Here was a philosopher who could teach her how to survive and laugh. AND HOW TO RULE [emphasis added].”
Source: “Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman” by Robert K Massie
Rhetorical: In your model, is there any room for benevolent (‘enlightened’) despotism?