More and more, the belief system Politics seems impotent solving the main problems in society (eg, climate, gun violence, mass migration, refugees, terrorism). In that context, the surge in Nationalism and even authoritarianism makes sense. Early 2018, I wrote about a future view on the 7 Belief systems. Today, I’m wondering whether the future is now.
Around 380 BC, Plato wrote the Republic in which he defined the natural order of societies, being: (1) aristocracy, (2) timocracy, (3) oligarchy, (4) democracy, and (5) tyranny. Since a few years, various articles claim that our societies are moving to the 5th and final Plato stage: tyranny (eg, BBC, PT, Vox). Also see my 2018 blog on Plato’s 5 regime types.
The ever-increasing disinterest of people to exercise their right to vote (eg, general or municipal election, referendum), shows that people no longer believe in the democratic power of politics. This disinterest is supported by statements like “my vote doesn’t matter as politicians do whatever they want anyway”. The occasional spike in voter turnout often has a specific background.
Once Politics is deemed outside the Power domain of the 7 Belief systems, politics would become obsolete. This idea may seem farfetched but some political leaders think it’s not:
FT, 28 June 2019: “[] the Russian president said “the liberal idea” had “outlived its purpose” as the public turned against immigration, open borders and multiculturalism.”
The European Council President, Mr Tusk, may have expressed wishful thinking in his reply: “What I find really obsolete is authoritarianism, personality cults and the rule of oligarchs.”
Since late 2016, I have assumed that the Great Divide (my blogs) between Left and Right of 1800-2000, had been superseded by a new Great Divide between Nationalism and Globalism from 2000 onwards (my blogs). However, China shows that Nationalism (domestic China) and Globalism (China internationally) are not necessarily each other’s opposites.
Last but not least, in several countries, politics has already become a window-dressing for a one-man-one-party system (eg, China, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Turkey, USA). Hence, the title of this blog: the end of Politics as a belief system.
Mid 2018, I came to a similar conclusion in my blog: Paradigm shift in the belief system Politics (2). Back then, it was more of a future expectation, which was partly based on the perceived decoupling of Money and Politics (my 2018 blogs: part 1, part 2, part 3) within the UK and USA. I was wrong in 2018 because the future is now.
The Future Is Now (2012) by The Offspring
artists, lyrics, video, Wiki-1, Wiki-2
Note: all markings (bold, italic, underlining) by LO unless stated otherwise
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