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> lest their descendants be dragged into the street and hung by an unhappy mob with pitchforks. The idea that a monarchy sees itself as accountable to the peop
by lostlogin 1y ago
> lest their descendants be dragged into the street and hung by an unhappy mob with pitchforks.
The idea that a monarchy sees itself as accountable to the people is hilarious. They have a record of ruling with an iron fist and killing opposition.
- hammock 1y agoIt’s hard to grasp in a post-Westphalian world but killing opposition and governing with accountability to the people were not always considered opposing ideas. Loyalty to the king was a two-way street, noblesse oblige, etc
- lostlogin 1y agoSo if we are after accountability, in what way is a monarchy superior to a democracy?
- hammock 1y agoI wasn’t making that argument. I’m rather inclined to Jefferson’s ideas (himself a severe anti-monarchist) of promoting individual human dignity and capability; the critical role of moral virtue and education; “small republics” and self-government: “ When people witnessed our first struggles in the war of independence, they little calculated, more than we did, on the rapid growth and prosperity of this country; on the practical demonstration it was about to exhibit, of the happy truth that man is capable of self-government, and only rendered otherwise by the moral degradation designedly superinduced on him by the wicked acts of his tyrants.”
- lostlogin 1y agoThanks for that quote. It almost sounds Libertarian.