Political science is the “science of power,” specifically power over people. Politics is a synonym for power. Political conflict by definition is a struggle for power. Political peddlers, or as Thomas Payne calls them, political physicians, prescribe various government systems to control, harness and direct power over people. In its most basic sense, government comes from the words govern = to control and ment = mind. Quite literally government is in the business of “mind control”. Politics is the machination of a body politic, which is, the control of the people, the source of all power…vox populi, vox dei.
The collective has inherent within it all power by a series of shared collective fictions. We share language, customs and culture which the collective enforces by tradition and some-times organized government. These customs and cultures give rise to theories on how the power of the collective can enforce the government required (mind control) to advance the needs of society.
There are two broad principles that all political theories begin and end with, no matter what it boils down to, Individualism and Collectivism.
Individualism begins and ends with the individual man or woman being its highest priority and purpose of the language, customs, culture and government. All those things function to uphold the rights of the individual FROM the collective. Individual rights to property, life and the pursuit of happiness are upheld. The functions of society and government begin and end with the individual as its priority. Individualism by definition does not allow any form of power maintained by brute force or compulsion over other individuals, excepting to prevent an individual from being harmed. Individuals must deal with each other on the basis of equity, not always however, from a place of equality. Republicanism and Volunteerism are its brands.
Collectivism has as its priority the “good” (usually determined by a nefarious elite) of the collective. Collectivism sets out not to support the individual as a means to itself, but rather the individual is a means to support the collective.
Collectivism is team play and tribalism. Collectivism is individuals sacrificing something for the “common good”. It is equality at the sake of equity.
Typically this drags the individuals down into a state of equality, rather than raise the collective up to the level of the achievers.
Collectivisms are your democracies, the rule of 50%+1, Fascism, Communism, Marxism, Socialism, etc… These are collectivist prescriptions. Collectivism, no matter its form, amounts to a boot on your neck, whether it comes from the left or right foot, it’s a boot on your neck.
When the individual is sacrificed to the collective, tyranny is present. The extent to which the seed grows is based on the “constitution” of the people, individualist vs collectivist. It is not the Constitution (written laws) of the government, because those laws are always changing (based on the “constitution” of the people), either to expand or restrain the collective power over the individual. America was founded on individualism. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness were un-a-LIEN-able. But the collectivism seed has slowly taken root and the fruit of collectivism is upon us. Our political conflict, our fight, is over which boot we want on our necks, rather than whether anyone should be able to wear a boot at all.
“A republic if you can keep it!”
****************************************************************************
-Taylor Johnatakis (peasantsperspective.com)