(urth) "Principlesofgovernaaance"GeneWolllfe's Politics

Thu Apr 2 12:11:00 PDT 2009

You'll thank me even more after you read them, and also embarrass yourself
less when you choose to discuss these matters.

.

> Thanks for your help there, Brunians. priceless.
>
>
>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: brunians at brunians.org [mailto:brunians at brunians.org]
>>Sent: Thursday, April 2, 2009 11:05 AM
>>To: 'The Urth Mailing List'
>>Subject: Re: (urth) "Principlesofgovernaaance"GeneWolfe's    Politics
>>
>>OK, reread it and read the other three.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>.
>>
>>
>>> I read The Prince a LONG time ago...
>>>
>>> ~witz
>>>
>>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>>From: brunians at brunians.org [mailto:brunians at brunians.org]
>>>>Sent: Thursday, April 2, 2009 10:48 AM
>>>>To: 'The Urth Mailing List'
>>>>Subject: Re: (urth) "Principlesofgovernaaance"Gene Wolfe's Politics
>>>>
>>>>Witz: go read Plato's "Republic", Aristotle's "Politics" and Niccolo
>>>>Machiavelli's two works "Discourses On The First Ten Books Of Titus
>>>>Livius" and "The Prince".
>>>>
>>>>This will give you the vocabulary that you currently lack for
>>>> discussing
>>>>this kind of thing.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> refresher quote, questions below:
>>>>>
>>>>> SHADOW XXXII Five Legs:
>>>>> """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
>>>>> "Severian. Name for me the seven principles of governance."
>>>>> It was an effort for me to speak, but I managed (in my dream, if it
>>>>> was
>>>>> a
>>>>> dream)to say, "I do not recall that we have studied such a thing,
>>>>> Master."
>>>>> "You were always the most careless of my boys," he told me, and fell
>>>>> silent.
>>>>> A foreboding grew on me; I sensed that if I did not reply, some
>>>>> tragedy
>>>>> would
>>>>> occur. At last I began weakly, "Anarchy . . ."
>>>>> "That is not governance, but the lack of it. I taught you that it
>>>>> precedes
>>>>> all governance. Now list the seven sorts."
>>>>> "Attachment to the person of the monarch. Attachment to a bloodline
>>>>> or
>>>>> other
>>>>> sequence of succession. Attachment to the royal state. Attachment to
>>>>> a
>>>>> code
>>>>> legitimizing the governing state. Attachment to the law only.
>>>>> Attachment
>>>>> to a
>>>>> greater or lesser board of electors, as framers of the law.
>>>>> Attachment
>>>>> to
>>>>> an
>>>>> abstraction conceived as including the body of electors, other bodies
>>>>> giving
>>>>> rise to them, and numerous other elements, largely ideal."
>>>>> "Tolerable. Of these, which is the earliest form, and which the
>>>>> highest?"
>>>>> "The development is in the order given, Master," I said. "But I do
>>>>> not
>>>>> recall
>>>>> that you ever asked before which was highest?'
>>>>> Master Malrubius leaned forward, his eyes burning brighter than the
>>>>> coals
>>>>> of the
>>>>> fire. "Which is highest, Severian?"
>>>>> "The last, Master?"
>>>>> "You mean attachment to an abstraction conceived as including the
>>>>> body
>>>>> of
>>>>> electors, other bodies giving rise to them, and numerous other
>>>>> elements,
>>>>> largely ideal?"
>>>>> "Yes, Master."
>>>>> "Of what kind, Severian, is your own attachment to the Divine
>>>>> Entity?"
>>>>> I said nothing. It may have been that I was thinking; but if so, my
>>>>> mind
>>>>> was too much filled with sleep to be conscious of its thought.
>>>>> Instead,
>>>>> I
>>>>> became
>>>>> profoundly aware of my physical surroundings. The sky above my face
>>>>> in
>>>>> all
>>>>> its
>>>>> grandeur seemed to have been made solely for my benefit, and to be
>>>>> presented for my inspection now. I lay upon the ground as upon a
>>>>> woman,
>>>>> and the very air that surrounded me seemed a thing as admirable as
>>>>> crystal
>>>>> and as fluid as wine.
>>>>> "Answer me, Severian."
>>>>> "The first, if I have any."
>>>>> "To the person of the monarch?"
>>>>> "Yes, because there is no succession."
>>>>> "The animal that rests beside you now would die for you. Of what kind
>>>>> is
>>>>> his
>>>>> attachment to you?"
>>>>> "The first?"
>>>>> """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
>>>>>
>>>>> ok, is the last one meant to be a joke about our current situation?
>>>>> Abstraction, largely ideal.
>>>>>
>>>>> maybe some conservatives can help me out here.
>>>>> "Attachment to the person of the monarch"
>>>>>
>>>>> On one hand, I don't understand how "Attachment to" is governance.
>>>>> Are
>>>>> the people attached, or is the governance attached?
>>>>>
>>>>> Another question this brings up for me.  This notion of a Divine
>>>>> Ruler...
>>>>> You get it in the Grail myths, and I suppose in the Jesus Myth, this
>>>>> idea
>>>>> of bringing back the Divine King. I'm not sure if that's right, but
>>>>> it's
>>>>> something that seems to come up in various traditions.  Anyway, While
>>>>> anyone could sort of get behind letting God's Vicar rule, if it could
>>>>> be
>>>>> proven. Yet we've had plenty of crappy rulers claiming God's mandate.
>>>>> anyway, How can this idea of a Monarch that is the best system jibe
>>>>> with
>>>>> reality lacking an unambiguous 'seal of approval' from God?
>>>>>
>>>>> Let me rephrase?  This seems like a sort of religious right position
>>>>> (maybe I'm totally wrong)  So, would anyone toss away democracy in
>>>>> favor
>>>>> of a monarch? How can this notion not be "largely ideal"  when it
>>>>> hinges
>>>>> upon the character of a single person?
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm not sure if I'm making this clear. I'm trying to understand how
>>>>> this
>>>>> can be considered the highest state of governance in a practical,
>>>>> non-ideal world.
>>>>>
>>>>> just asking...
>>>>>
>>>>> ~Witz
>>>>>
>>>>>
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