Podcast Summary
Understanding Tyranny: A Historical Perspective on Manhood and Power: Throughout history, tyranny and its relationship to manhood and masculinity have shaped Western civilization. Tyranny, contrasting with self-governing societies, offers lessons on balance, avoiding extremes, and pursuing a moderate political course.
The history of tyranny, as explored in Waller Newell's latest book, is closely linked to the concept of manhood and masculinity throughout Western civilization. Tyranny, defined as lawless rule by an individual or group, has been a recurring political force since ancient times, contrasting with the ideal of self-governing societies. The ancient Greeks and Romans, who valued civic virtue and involvement in public affairs, provide insights into understanding tyranny and its antidote. Throughout history, some tyrants have paved the way for liberal democracies, while modern forms of tyranny, like ISIS, continue to pose challenges. The study of tyranny's history offers valuable lessons on the importance of balance, avoiding extremes, and the pursuit of a moderate political course.
Historical threat of tyranny to democratic societies: Throughout history, tyrants have exploited societies for their own gain, but ancient philosophers recognized the danger and sought to limit their power. Remembering this context is crucial for navigating modern politics.
Throughout history, tyranny has been a constant and dangerous threat to democratic societies. However, we may be lulled into a false sense of security due to our successes and the widespread belief that everyone desires economic prosperity above all. Garden variety tyrants, the oldest form, rule entire societies as their personal property, exploiting them for their own gain. These tyrants, like Nero or Bashar al-Assad, can sometimes bring about positive change but ultimately treat society as their personal possession. Ancient Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle recognized this danger and sought to limit such power. It's crucial for us to remember this historical context as we navigate the complexities of modern politics.
Greek society's tension between heroism and serving the greater good: The Greeks admired Persian wealth, power, and governance, but feared losing their freedom. They learned from the Persians and adopted elements of their culture, blending Greek heroism with Persian rational despotism.
Greek culture held a complex tension between the idealized figure of the self-centered hero, like Achilles, and the importance of serving the greater good of the polis. This tension was further complicated by the influence of Persian culture, which Greek society both admired and feared. Persian empires, with their wealth, power, and well-run governments, inspired awe and envy in the Greeks. Despite their fear of losing their freedom, the Greeks learned from the Persians and, under leaders like Alexander the Great, adopted and spread Greek values throughout the Persian world state. This synthesis of Greek heroism and Persian rational despotism shaped the development of Greek civilization.
The Persian Empire: Tyranny with Benefits: The Persian Empire, though ruled by an absolute monarch, provided religious tolerance, economic growth, and merit-based advancement, showcasing the intricate relationship between tyranny and benevolence in history.
The Persian Empire, despite being ruled by a monarch with absolute power, offered religious tolerance, economic development, and merit-based advancement to its subjects. This complex relationship between tyranny and benevolence is a recurring theme in history, with the Greeks and Romans holding nuanced views towards tyrannical rule. While there was a deep-rooted aversion to monarchy and tyranny in the Roman heritage, figures like Julius Caesar continued to spark debates about the role of individual liberty versus the benefits of strong leadership. The transition from the Roman Republic to an empire led by a tyrant is a fascinating story in political history, highlighting the complexities and nuances of power and governance throughout history.
From City-State to Empire: The Evolution of Powerful Rulers: Throughout history, rulers like Rome's emperors, reforming tyrants, and modern state builders sought power while benefiting their people with infrastructure and reforms, shaping the path to individual liberty and self-governance.
Throughout history, there have been various types of rulers who wielded power in significant ways. Rome's transformation from a city-state to an empire was achieved through a constitutional fiction, presenting emperors as first citizens in a free republic. Reforming tyrants, such as Alexander, Julius Caesar, Augustus, and modern state builders like Napoleon, sought absolute power but also aimed to benefit their people through infrastructure projects, land distribution, and other improvements. These rulers paved the way for individual liberty and self-governance by exporting liberal values through conquests and top-down reforms. Despite their noble intentions, they still desired to maintain power, often being ambitious or militaristic leaders. Ultimately, Europe and America followed different paths to modernity, with Europe requiring more top-down reforms to modernize its societies.
Millenarian Tyrants: Creating a Perfect World Overnight: Millenarian tyrants aim to create a utopian society through mass killing, seen in regimes like Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Chairman Mao, Khmer Rouge, and ISIS, blurring into other types of tyrants such as Putin.
Throughout history, there have been various types of tyrants who have ruled with an iron fist. These include forming tyrants, who expand their territories, garden variety tyrants, who believe in their own supremacy and do not value democracy or self-government, and millenarian tyrants, who aim to create a utopian society by eliminating certain groups and returning to a supposed golden age. Millenarian tyrants, a modern development, are characterized by their intent to create a perfect world overnight, often through mass killing. This ideology can be traced back to the French Revolution and its attempt to return to a state of complete equality, and has been seen in various regimes throughout history, including those of Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Chairman Mao, the Khmer Rouge, and jihadist groups like ISIS. While all tyrants can be violent, the sheer scale of violence used by millenarian tyrants sets them apart. It's important to note that these categories are not fixed distinctions, but rather blur into each other on occasion. For example, Vladimir Putin can be seen as a combination of all three types.
The roots of totalitarian ideologies, including jihadist groups, trace back to philosophers like Rousseau, Heidegger, and Sartre: Understanding the philosophical influences on jihadist ideologies is crucial for distinguishing them from authentic Islamic teachings and supporting moderate Muslim voices
The roots of totalitarian ideologies, including those driving jihadist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS, can be traced back to philosophers like Rousseau, Heidegger, and Sartre, rather than solely to religious texts or movements. This is because these philosophers promoted the idea of an "authentic people of destiny," which has influenced both far-right and far-left ideologies. Jihadist groups have adopted this concept, using it to justify their violent actions as part of a larger destiny for their people. It's crucial for Western democracies to recognize this connection, as it allows us to distinguish jihadism from the authentic teachings of Islam and support moderate Muslim voices. By ignoring or downplaying this issue, we risk perpetuating the perception that Islam is inherently violent and indistinguishable from Islamist ideologies.
The Role of Belief in Extremist Appeal: Belief in a righteous cause, not just economic factors, drives young men to join extremist groups like ISIS. Military defeat and knowledge from great books can help counteract this appeal.
The appeal of extremist groups like ISIS to young men, even those from middle class or well-to-do backgrounds, cannot be solely explained by economic factors. Instead, conviction and a belief in a righteous cause play a significant role. Military defeat is necessary to remove the allure of ISIS's claim to have established a theocratic state, the stepping stone to a worldwide caliphate. Additionally, reading great books, such as the Iliad or City of God, can serve as a homeopathic cure for the temptation to tyranny by increasing knowledge and understanding of the nature of tyranny as a form of government and as a psychological category. This knowledge can help individuals recognize and resist the appeal of extremist ideologies.
Understanding the nature of tyranny and its forms: Immerse in historical accounts and literature to gain insight into tyrants' minds, check out Waller Newell's recommended list of 300 books, and stay informed to maintain freedom and avoid tyranny.
Understanding the nature of tyranny and its various forms is crucial for recognizing and preventing it, whether it exists abroad or in our own society. Waller Newell, the author of the book "Tyranny," emphasizes the importance of immersing oneself in historical accounts and literature on the topic to gain insight into the minds of tyrants. Newell recommends a list of approximately 300 books, including histories, biographies, and novels, to supplement the great books. His website, wallernool.com, provides more information about his work and publications. The book "Tyranny" is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and there may soon be translations in Italian and Portuguese. To learn more about this topic, check out the show notes at AOM.IS/Tyranny. Remember, staying informed and aware is key to maintaining freedom and avoiding tyranny.
