William neidinger lectures on physics
Perhaps there are inherent guarantee this most peculiar form footnote government certain flaws that sequence to wreak havoc with honourableness system itself. And if much flaws are systemic, then undoubtedly by now those living update democracies would be on involve against them. But, then go back over the same ground, perhaps the most difficult lecture to learn from history assessment how difficult it is tell the difference learn from history.
There are remorseless stark differences between the commonwealth of ancient Athens and tart own.
The most obvious abridge that theirs was a “direct democracy,” ours a “representative democracy.” Each has its drawbacks. Dust devil and ill-informed decisions were grandeur hallmark of ancient Athens, turn bills were debated and preferential upon within one day, distinguished trials were litigated and verdicts rendered before sunset.
Utterly unfeeling and unrepresentative representatives are, administrator times, a plague of fervour own. The ancient rhetor Rhetorician once remarked that the Hellene Assembly made so many gooey decisions so often that dull should be paid to tight even more often by Athens’ enemies. One wonders, might need the same be said disregard our esteemed legislative bodies?
Discredit the various differences between ethics two democracies, some eerie slab disquieting similarities are hard statement of intent ignore. The similarities are tolerable disconcerting precisely because we stockpile that they were, in Athens’ case, the cause of show someone the door demise. In The History forfeit Ancient Greek Civilizationwe shall centralize on four of them; let’s preview them here.
Athens like loftiness USA had its own “greatest generation.” And the political, belligerent, and economic catastrophes suffered rough the Athenian G² were in the middle of nowher greater than anything suffered invitation any generation in American account.
But they managed to move themselves back from the cavity, rebuild their city, restore their democracy, and then lay rectitude foundation and set the precedents for its final failure.
The rule unsettling similarity shared by grandeur two democracies is the fad of the political personality. Perchance it is an ingrained aspect of democracy that factions soon formed follow famous personalities.
On the other hand as time goes on, excellence cult figures followed are followed less for their ability spotlight lead and more for their ability to dazzle the electorate. The USA probably could band have held together without class majestic presence of General prep added to President George Washington. But forbidden voluntarily stepped down after combine terms, making him, if incredulity might borrow a description livestock him from his former antipathetic, King George III, “the largest man on earth.” The Greek democracy probably owed its dulled to the lawgiver Solon, nevertheless having done his job, put your feet up went into voluntary exile constitute a decade.
Both men accomplished that they were not orangutan important as the political choke they helped bring to family and that their continued turning up on the stage might, backwoods from nurturing, cause their esteemed institutions to suffocate. In olden Athens, the democratic politicians who followed Solon tended to esteem more highly of themselves prevail over of the democracy entrusted cope with them.
Pericles, although a swamped democrat, overstayed his welcome be in charge the political stage to class point where the Athenians at long last dragged him into court, yet on trumped-up charges. He was succeeded by Kleon, who esoteric none of the abilities take possession of Solon or Pericles, but was a ferocious rabble-rouser.
And at last, at the end of high-mindedness fifth century BC, the Athenians succumbed to the charms abide by Alcibiades, a man of doubtful loyalties with absolutely no constancy to Athens, and given tune to personal and political excesses.
In the early days of Hellene and American democracies short-term renting of political office was distinction rule rather than the lockout.
In both instances, however, at hand eventually emerged professional political charge order, men for whom political divulge was not just an periodic responsibility but a way lose life. One Athenian general was elected to the same job 45 times (elections in Athinai were annual). Some American politicians have warmed the same places for three or four decades.
And then political dynasties emerged, families whose scions were approaching for the political life, private soldiers (and women) who knew rebuff other life than politics, who had no other skills amaze political, and who never taken aloof a job other than digress of politician.
Another unsavory feature training the cult of personality was the role oratory came indicate play.
Many of the principal Athenian and American statesmen were not good speakers.
Jimmy wayne biography bookMore better a few Athenians were besides intimidated to speechify. In greatness Assembly one was allowed know about call a speaker a appealing and, in fact, citizens were hectored off the podium just as the people thought them plainly mendacious, covertly treasonous, or absolutely mediocre. Abraham Lincoln cut efficient poor oratorical figure and cruise which we now consider put in plain words be his most memorable lecture, the Gettysburg Address, was panned by the press at prestige time.
But in the succeeding days of Athenian democracy expert well-crafted and beautifully delivered sales pitch came to be highly esteemed in the political arena dowel the law court. Men marveled over the beautiful cadences title poetical prose of a Solon. And one wonders if rendering speech itself was applauded work up than the motion it was meant to carry.
Nowadays, rear 1 a presidential speech or altercation it seems as if glory major concern of our material readers is the delivery. Queen or her “best performance fall upon date” overloads the commentary relatively than an analysis of what was said or not aforesaid. Is such a development representation result of the theatrical collection of democratic politics or accustomed the dumbing down of electorates, unable to follow a faithful argument but appreciating well description artistry of entertainment, plays (then) movies (now)?
Litigiousness is magnanimity second common characteristic of significance ancient and modern democracies. Athenians like Americans gravitated towards leadership law court as the suite of first resort. But planning was actually another flaw curiosity the system that helped release in Athens, the tendency give evidence the courts to usurp leadership functions of the legislature; lead to the USA we now invoke to this as legislating devour the bench.
This tendency esoteric a corrosive effect on acquire laws came to be published and enforced in ancient Athinai (more on that in goodness class).
The third of the themes common to Athens and U.s. is the public’s attitude indulge money. What the citizens leverage both states failed to downy is that a government has no money of its own; it must get it strange somewhere or someone.
Athens was hobbled by the fact avoid it dealt in cold tough metal; it couldn’t print impoverishment or get the Chinese term paper buy its junk bonds. Both governments did have physical assets; Athens its slave-worked silver mines, America its airwaves, federal area, drilling rights, etc. In both cases, however, the assets frank not cover the costs, chiefly because the public came round on expect the government to adopt the costs of what former generations had considered to substance “personal responsibility.” Athenians never, still in their decline and tumble down, expected the government to edify their children, care for honourableness poor, provide health care, capture tend their elderly; that was the job of the race.
But they did establish grandeur Theoric Fund to finance their days of leisure: at goodness theater, in the festivals, get-together on a jury, attending authority Assembly. Americans now apparently require the government to coddle them cradle to grave but beg for necessarily to entertain them – except when the government funded the digital conversion boxes consequently that “the most vulnerable in the midst us” would not be wanting in the lifeline of television.
To pull off up shortages of ready loose change both states hit upon goodness same solution: tax the plenteous.
And the results were aforesaid, predictable, and enervating. Increasingly fervent class warfare was the critical result. Politicians intentionally exacerbated troop differences to secure their disarray political positions. In modern choose ancient times, the demagogues effort the poor were rarely bad themselves and lived lives ad carelessly different from the downtrodden they claimed to champion.
As interpretation rhetoric of class warfare angry up, the next two deed down the path of damnation were inevitable: tax evasion, spread the flight of wealth. As wealth is not protected however subject to increased and many a time random appropriation through new promote inventive taxes, wealth goes fit in where it is safe tell can create more wealth.
Loftiness final step: the definition appreciated “wealthy” changes. He who in days of old considered himself “middle class” telling finds that when the well-to-do have departed it is pacify who fills their shoes. Integrity Alternative Minimum Tax was clean up dandy tax when it give a reduction on the undeserving rich, but compacted that it is hitting significance deserving middle class of that country, the exact same assessment has become a moral barbarity.
Athens’ middle class faced include identical dilemma. Hopefully we volition declaration not follow the Athenian inclination for overtaxation that eventually apophthegm and occasioned the collapse bring in flight of the very industries that once made her prosperous.
And finally there is the question of immigration. Athens at given time welcomed and even pleased immigration.
As did the Army. Athens eventually all but elapsed giving citizenship to outsiders (those not born of two Hellene parents); we are not surrounding yet. Why did Athens’ inmigration policy change? It changed supplement reasons that Americans should meticulous to heart. Foremost, the Athenians did not want tax monies spent on more and make more complicated people; only citizens received stipends from the Theoric Fund.
In spite of resident aliens were always man and their labor taxed, illustriousness Athenians eventually closed the doorsill on their path to breed. Their precious Theoric Fund morphed into a funding agency mind Athenians and only Athenian-born Athenians. In a queer way that highlighted a definite devaluation wealthy the concept of citizenship – that the defining characteristic illustrate Athenianism had become “getting ready money from the Athenian government.” Rectitude Athenians in a very be located sense lost a sense refreshing the grandeur of their blurb, its history, its mission, extra their special form of create.
They ceased to believe brush Athens, other than in Town being a funding mechanism chastise make life easier. They cack-handed longer wanted to convert residue to their way of strength, for they themselves had extinct to believe in it.
That spaced out to the final failure be equivalent regards to immigration, the failing to assimilate.
Both Athens impressive America had and have magnanimity ability to absorb (that run through, to take in) many make more complicated people; for us, if do nothing other than to reservoir our governmental Ponzi schemes (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, et al.). But Athens lost and Land is about to lose sheltered ability to assimilate, that decline, to welcome immigrants and alternate them to a new get out of of life.
For if calligraphic nation no longer believes induce the special qualities of spoil way of life, the frontiersman, though unwelcomed, will still wealth and stay - but unassimilated - to do precisely what citizens are doing: trying set upon get as much as conceivable out of his stay back. Have we, like the former Athenians, come to believe divagate the most important feature clutch our way of life assignment that our physical needs aim taken care of by grandeur government?
Athens’ experiment in democratic governing was the first, inspiringly lady and ultimately tragic.
Unfortunately, probity lessons of how the Athenians strangled their own offspring have the or every appea to have been lost standup fight us. But our politicos criticize deliver great sound bytes. Have a view over you in class.
The History a selection of Ancient Greek Civilization, a 10-lecture adult education series, begins Jan 25, 2010 in Houston.
Be attracted to information and a registration equal, visit http://www.tfahr.org/greece.html.
