Category: Politics, Power, and Governance

by John Mark To state the obvious, the top and bottom united against the middle, is exactly what we’re seeing now. —“Those who possess the goods of life in moderation are best suited to use reason”— Or, as I’d put it, middle class people are capable enough to not need to steal (like the bottom) and don’t have enough power to abuse (like the top). Thus the middle is the only group that has the balance of incentives to act morally (in reciprocity). Reciprocity produces wealth, which produces a larger middle class *and* a super-rich elite who will be very tempted to abuse their power (act parasitically outside if reciprocity) *as well as* an under/lower class increasingly bitter that they’re at the bottom (ripe for leftist propaganda). The wealth also attracts parasites from without who have no intention/ability to act in reciprocity. In other words, a system that operates in enough reciprocity to create prosperity *also* creates its own destruction, *unless* built into the system is a mechanism by which the middle (for the most part the only ones with incentive to continue acting in reciprocity) can enforce punishment against all violations of reciprocity by the top and bottom. So the middle must rule. How? Rule of law (natural law of reciprocity) enforced by mostly middle class judges & police, militia and military made up of mostly middle class men (many lower class as well in military particularly, where they are domesticated and gain more agency), run by middle class men. Testimonialism (outlaw public/powerful figures lying).

by John Mark To state the obvious, the top and bottom united against the middle, is exactly what we’re seeing now. —“Those who possess the goods of life in moderation are best suited to use reason”— Or, as I’d put it, middle class people are capable enough to not need to steal (like the bottom) and don’t have enough power to abuse (like the top). Thus the middle is the only group that has the balance of incentives to act morally (in reciprocity). Reciprocity produces wealth, which produces a larger middle class *and* a super-rich elite who will be very tempted to abuse their power (act parasitically outside if reciprocity) *as well as* an under/lower class increasingly bitter that they’re at the bottom (ripe for leftist propaganda). The wealth also attracts parasites from without who have no intention/ability to act in reciprocity. In other words, a system that operates in enough reciprocity to create prosperity *also* creates its own destruction, *unless* built into the system is a mechanism by which the middle (for the most part the only ones with incentive to continue acting in reciprocity) can enforce punishment against all violations of reciprocity by the top and bottom. So the middle must rule. How? Rule of law (natural law of reciprocity) enforced by mostly middle class judges & police, militia and military made up of mostly middle class men (many lower class as well in military particularly, where they are domesticated and gain more agency), run by middle class men. Testimonialism (outlaw public/powerful figures lying).