4 ms·

What about non-contemporary “laws”? For example, Polybius’ Anacyclosis. It originated with Plato and Aristotle, and Polybius codified it - and it influenced th

What about non-contemporary “laws”? For example, Polybius’ Anacyclosis. It originated with Plato and Aristotle, and Polybius codified it - and it influenced thinkers such as Machiavelli and Kant. To a modern reader, or at any rate to this modern reader, it holds water. Yes, there are counter-examples, but they seem to be vastly outweighed by examples which follow the form. See the French and American revolutions, the glorious revolution, the arc of the Roman Empire, for a few. I would say (as an absolutely unqualified observer) that we (much of the world) are currently in an ochlocractic state, moving towards monarchies. I’d be interested in his/your take on an idea that had persisted and influenced for several millennia - I wouldn’t call it a flash in the pan. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anacyclosis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anacyclosis

Tainnor 6y ago
How is the French revolution an example for this? That went from a somewhat absolutist monarchy (maybe we could call that "tyranny"? but the king never had sole power) to something that looked like it could have been a constitutional monarchy to mob rule relatively quickly, and then back to tyranny (and then back to monarchy, then to democracy, then to tyranny, then to democracy, then to occupation, then to democracy). I mean obviously it is somewhat easier for a monarchy or a democracy to change in character (monarchy->tyranny) than in essence (monarchy->democracy), but a) that model doesn't account for changes in essence at all (especially not in the context of revolutions), b) there have been countless examples of monarchs that had to cede power instead of gaining it, c) I can't think of that many historic examples of actual mob rule that remained stable over a longer period. More fundamentally, it's even questionable that we can come up with clear criteria to distinguish, say, monarchy from tyranny.

Tainnor 6y ago

How is the French revolution an example for this? That went from a somewhat absolutist monarchy (maybe we could call that "tyranny"? but the king never had sole power) to something that looked like it could have been a constitutional monarchy to mob rule relatively quickly, and then back to tyranny (and then back to monarchy, then to democracy, then to tyranny, then to democracy, then to occupation, then to democracy). I mean obviously it is somewhat easier for a monarchy or a democracy to change in character (monarchy->tyranny) than in essence (monarchy->democracy), but a) that model doesn't account for changes in essence at all (especially not in the context of revolutions), b) there have been countless examples of monarchs that had to cede power instead of gaining it, c) I can't think of that many historic examples of actual mob rule that remained stable over a longer period. More fundamentally, it's even questionable that we can come up with clear criteria to distinguish, say, monarchy from tyranny.