Re: POL: Extropianism and Politics

Delvieron@aol.com
Fri, 19 Mar 1999 11:29:18 EST

Ah, Benevolent Despotism....

It is an old meme which holds a siren call for many. "There is no way to get these terrible people to agree with anything sensible....I think maybe we could find at least ONE good and righteous person, so why not give that person all the power?" It does have its appeals....of course, the problem is that you have to continue to agree with every decision of your Benevolent Despot, or else the meme in your mind quickly transmutes to Oppressive Tyrant. Note that this doesn't even mean that the person in power has to be wrong, just that you think that person is wrong. Or sometimes, you might even agree in theory that your leader is right....but it is getting in the way of what you WANT, right or wrong. And of course, you begin to run into REAL problems if in fact the person you've installed as dictator is actually making mistakes, because who is there to correct them?

Glen