Dear Friends,
It seems to me, The entirety of human existence, since at least the invention of agriculture, has been the struggle between those who would rule, and those who would live their lives in peace. In this I have simplified it as did Marx, but unlike Marx, I have correctly identified the combatants. Marx claimed the fight was a class struggle, but that theory has been disproved by many social scientists. Alvin Gouldner for one, when he applied the Marxist dialectic to Marxism itself, and found it also wanting. There has been a constant battle, but that combat has been between, as Thrasymachus told us, between Great Men who would rule and Little Men who would live their lives in peace. Indeed I would argue that Thrasymachus the Sophist’s identification was correct more than two thousand years ago.
You can break humanity up into whatever set of groups that meets the needs of your argument. This has been done since people started identifying and classifying things and by extension… people. Nevertheless, there are classifications that lend us real insight, and those that muddy the waters. The same goes with identifiers. Moreover, a theory that is close to true, can appear to be a true representation of reality, when it isn’t even a good instrument. The class struggle theory muddies the water, because if we do a Venn diagram of those who would rule, and those who would live in peace, over one of class identification, over another that shows who is actually in power… at any given time. We see that those, “in power” most overlaps the, “those who would rule” circle.
The Venn diagram above is a good thought experiment. It shows that class has less correlation with holding power, even where only people of a certain class can hold power. While the drive to rule over others is a much better correlation, because those in classes barred from power, will do anything to get it. Logically, those who seek power are drawn to positions of power, while those who seek to live in peace are not. I shouldn’t think that a revelation to anyone. This comports with the theory that the true struggle within humanity, is between those who would rule over us, and those who would live in peace. Let’s examine Roman society in the time of Marius and Sulla. The Patricians ostensibly had the real power, being the only group Consuls were drawn from, but the Plebeians had made great strides.
Marius was a member of the Patrician class. He considered himself a bulwark against further inroads by Plebeians into the Senate with their Tribunes. Sulla was a Tribune who claimed he had enough of the arrogance and hubris of the Patricians, and he demanded he be allowed to run for Consul to rectify it. Both men willing to destroy the Republic to get their way, and they did, bringing Rome to her knees. Slaughtering their way through the ranks of the Roman populace, depending on political favor and position, they reduced the gene pool of Rome to a puddle. One could claim this proves class struggle, but a more detailed look exposes the truth, that the struggle wasn’t between classes, but individuals mad for power, and doing anything for it, regardless of the cost to the nation, society or people.
How do we know the blood spilled by Marius and Sulla wasn’t really about their classes? Because if they cared about their classes… they wouldn’t have defecated in their own well. No one destroys a thing to preserve it, they destroy it because it stands in their way. Constitutions were invented to give those of us who want to live in peace leverage, against those who would rule over us, but those who would rule have a loophole. Constitutions have no teeth. In this, we see that speeding along the highway has greater consequences for a little person, than openly violating a Constitution has, for a “Great Man.” Making Constitutions a limitation in name only. If we want to finally bring the power of both sides of this ancient human conflict into balance… we must add teeth to our Constitutions.
Sincerely,
John Pepin
