Its in their economic interest to tax the peasantry to almost but not quite the point of starvation, and use the excess to fund land-acquisition, which is pretty much what they did for centuries. You could argue that with the benefit of hindsight, what they should have done is abandoned agriculture+war for education+industrialisation, since [by some measures] ordinary citizens of the present are wealthier than the aristocrats of the past. But I could argue right back that the industrial revoiution wasn’t that good for the aristocaracy, as a class, in the end.
You could argue that with the benefit of hindsight, what they should have done is abandoned agriculture+war for ecuation+industialisation, since ordinary citizens of the present are wealthier than the aristocrats of the past.
Only if you consider absolute gains preferable to relative/”zero-sum” gains, which our evolved psychological makeup isn’t really prepared to do very well.
Social animals with a natural dominance hierarchy will often see “how well am I doing right now, compared to how well everyone else around me is doing right now?” as a more salient question than “how well am I doing right now, compared to how well I was doing before / how well I could be doing?”.
Only if you consider absolute gains preferable to relative/”zero-sum” gains, which our evolved psychological makeup isn’t really prepared to do very well.
Except that that never happens, and it’s not in their interests to disrupt the economy that much, and it’s also
not in their interests to do something that might lead to civil unrest...and it never happens.
Well, it never happens at the 49%-51% level, but that’s because there aren’t any countries where 49% of the country is wealthy enough to be worth plundering (see Pareto). Massive redistribution of wealth away from minorities has happened quite a bit, as in Zimbabwe, Haiti, Germany, and others. The various communist revolutions seem to be an example of this, if you allow ‘democracy of the sword’, and I would suspect pogroms are as well, to the extent that property is looted as well as destroyed.
One counterexample is sufficient to break a “never.” To the extent that ‘good’ democracies do not do this, it is not a statement about the incentive structure of democracy, but a statement about the preferences of the voters of that particular polity.
Like Vaniver said, it’s never happened this explicitly, but demanding that [group you’ve just demonized] pay their “fair share” is relatively common rhetoric. And yes, politicians are willing to do this even as it gradually destroys the economy as is happening right now in Europe.
that [group you’ve just demonized] pay their “fair share” is relatively common rhetoric.
Quite. It’s hard to make it stick unless it is seen as fair.
And yes, politicians are willing to do this even as it gradually destroys the economy as is happening right now in Europe.
You mean southern Europe? I don’t know who you think the 49% are. (In fact, given the tendency of democracies to alternate between parties of the left and right, one would expect the 49% and 51% to switch roles, leading to an averaging out).
In any case, if Greek or Spanish voters vote for unsustainable benefits, more fool them, It wasn’t done to them, they did it to themselves.
(In fact, given the tendency of democracies to alternate between parties of the left and right, one would expect the 49% and 51% to switch roles, leading to an averaging out).
I think you’re overestimating the amount of difference between the two parties. Also, this still screws the economy.
In any case, if Greek or Spanish voters vote for unsustainable benefits, more fool them, It wasn’t done to them, they did it to themselves.
Its in their economic interest to tax the peasantry to almost but not quite the point of starvation, and use the excess to fund land-acquisition, which is pretty much what they did for centuries. You could argue that with the benefit of hindsight, what they should have done is abandoned agriculture+war for education+industrialisation, since [by some measures] ordinary citizens of the present are wealthier than the aristocrats of the past. But I could argue right back that the industrial revoiution wasn’t that good for the aristocaracy, as a class, in the end.
Only if you consider absolute gains preferable to relative/”zero-sum” gains, which our evolved psychological makeup isn’t really prepared to do very well.
Social animals with a natural dominance hierarchy will often see “how well am I doing right now, compared to how well everyone else around me is doing right now?” as a more salient question than “how well am I doing right now, compared to how well I was doing before / how well I could be doing?”.
That’s what I meant.
nod I just felt it needed to be stated more explicitly.
Yes and it’s in the interest of elected politicians to take all the property of 49% of the population and divide it among the remaining 51%.
Except that that never happens, and it’s not in their interests to disrupt the economy that much, and it’s also not in their interests to do something that might lead to civil unrest...and it never happens.
Well, it never happens at the 49%-51% level, but that’s because there aren’t any countries where 49% of the country is wealthy enough to be worth plundering (see Pareto). Massive redistribution of wealth away from minorities has happened quite a bit, as in Zimbabwe, Haiti, Germany, and others. The various communist revolutions seem to be an example of this, if you allow ‘democracy of the sword’, and I would suspect pogroms are as well, to the extent that property is looted as well as destroyed.
I don’t think you have many good examples of democracies there.
One counterexample is sufficient to break a “never.” To the extent that ‘good’ democracies do not do this, it is not a statement about the incentive structure of democracy, but a statement about the preferences of the voters of that particular polity.
Or the details of the exact structure of the democracy which may create relevant incentives.
Like Vaniver said, it’s never happened this explicitly, but demanding that [group you’ve just demonized] pay their “fair share” is relatively common rhetoric. And yes, politicians are willing to do this even as it gradually destroys the economy as is happening right now in Europe.
Quite. It’s hard to make it stick unless it is seen as fair.
You mean southern Europe? I don’t know who you think the 49% are. (In fact, given the tendency of democracies to alternate between parties of the left and right, one would expect the 49% and 51% to switch roles, leading to an averaging out).
In any case, if Greek or Spanish voters vote for unsustainable benefits, more fool them, It wasn’t done to them, they did it to themselves.
I think you’re overestimating the amount of difference between the two parties. Also, this still screws the economy.
See my comment on rational ignorance above.
The two parties where?
I think you may be over generalising from (your assessment of) your own nation.
Uhhh...so democracy is not theoretically perfect. The discussion was about whether there is anything practical that is less bad, eg aristocracy.
I should have said two coalitions, sorry.