Ask the Philosophers

To understand the Afghanistan/Iraq/Iran/Syria/etc war talk, the wiretapping debacle, the "secret" legal memos of the OLC, and most of the other strange goings-on of the current administration, we could analyze the factors until we are blue in the face. Or, we could just ask Aristotle: . . . and further, it is part [of the nature of tyranny] to strive to see that all the affairs of the tyrant are secret, but that nothing is kept hidden of what any subject says or does, rather everywhere he will be spied upon . . . . Also it is part of these tyrannical measures to impoverish the nation so as to bolster the funds available for military defense, and so that the common citizens will be occupied with earning their livelihood and will have neither leisure nor opportunity to engage in conspiratorial acts . . . . Thus, the tyrant is inclined constantly to foment wars in order to preserve his own monopoly of power. This is so accurate that is is somewhat scary. Aristotle is not the only one with important things to say. Consiuder the words of Gottfried Keller, and how they relate to the adnimistration's efforts to convince the populace that their Aristotlian crimes are really sign of patriotism: That great majorities may be poisoned and ruined by a single person and in response thereto give cause for still more individuals to poison and destroy,–that a majority which has once been lied to, can continue to want to be lied to in the future, and to raise ever more liars upon its pedestal, as if they were only a sole conscious and resolute villain,–that in the end the awakening of the citizen from the error wrought by a majority which he brought upon himself is nothing rosy when the damages commence to pile up–that is something which at this point was yet beyond my contemplation. And of the "flexibility" of morality when acts are committed by the state, as explained by Seneca: We are mad, not only individually, but nationally. We check manslaughter and isolated murders; but what of war and the much-vaunted crime of genocide? There are no limits to our greed, and neither to our cruelty. And as long as such crimes are committed by stealth and by individuals, they are less harmful and less portentous; but cruelties are practiced in accordance with acts of the senate or of a popular assembly, and the public is invited to do that which formerly was forbidden to the individual. So we come to this clearest manifestation of insanity: that deeds which rightfully would be punished with a sentence of death when committed by an ordinary man, are suddenly praised and celebrated when committed by a general wearing a uniform. Oh, where do I find this stuff... In my readings, I sometimes come across passages that represent my thoughts so exactly that I wonder who is spying on my brainwaves. One such passage is here. It is taken from “The Manner of Kings,” Hekayat 16, written 1258 CE by Persian Muslih-ud-Din Mushrif-ibn-Abdullah (I guess he didn't really steal this from me). It goes like this: An old Persian wisdom story relates how a fox came to see the jackals, and said, “Brothers, loan me some money. I need to leave the country quickly.” The jackals were surprised. “Surely a fox can survive any political change?” “I have heard,” the fox replied, “that the king has issued an edict that all camels shall now be beasts of burden.” The jackals laughed. “So? You’re a fox!” “You fools,” replied the fox, “all it will take is for my enemies so say I am a camel, and people will come running with loads for me to carry on my back.” This old Persian fable has obvious relevance today. Horton's application of the fable: No doubt, journalists and statesmen in animal society seriously debated the “transportation problem.” They debated “what does or does not count as a camel,” “how far and how much weight shall a camel legitimately bear?” and “do international transportation laws apply to camels?” just like we debate “what is torture?” “does stress torture count?” and “how far can one legitimately go in coercing a prisoner?” Meantime, the rest of the animals carried the burden of the unfolding transportation violence which, despite all the talk, never ended. I love it. Scott Horton is quickly becoming one of my favorites.