People who dislike or disagree with a proposal sometimes pretend not to know what it means, which is a mere smokescreen. Henry Kittredge tells Adzel and Chee Lan what Benoni Strang proposes for Hermes:
"The whole scheme of law and property is to be revised, the aristocracy abolished, a 'participatory republic' established, whatever that means." (p. 228)
Whatever that means? No inherited privileges, equality before the law, equality of opportunity, democratic government, regular elections, equal voting rights, freedom of speech and assembly? The meanings of all these principles are perfectly clear. The real questions are: Are the proposals sincerely meant? Will the equality, participation and democracy be mere shams? Will the real power continue to lie elsewhere? Can democracy be established by Strang's undemocratic means? (And the answer to that last question is definitely "No.")
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
And I get VERY suspicious when I see menacing argot about a "participatory republic." So often, in real history, that has meant only a blood thirsty despotism, beginning with the loathsome French Revolution!
If "hereditary privileges" are de facto used as a check on the powers of the central gov't, I don't think that will necessarily be bad!
Happy New Year! Sean
Because anyone who trusts Benoni Strang and his ilk to actually tolerate anything which contradicts what they want should talk to me about this little land deal in Florida...
You have to be an absolute idiot to trust someone like that with power.
And note, that's not to say he's being consciously hypocritical. He'll just have some nice-sounding excuse for massacring anyone who wants things he doesn't want, votes be damned.
I absolutely agree, Mr. Stirling!!!
Ad astra! Sean
Post a Comment