Why human society is naturally democratic and other thoughts
Yesterday, I was confirmed by my students' union, Hertfordshire Students Union, that I have been elected to represent them at the next National Union of Students Conference in 2014.
This time, I only just got through, though, in a close fight between 7 opponents, despite my previous good record of representing my union, and making sure it has a voice within NUS.
This brings me onto the importance of democracy in human society-and why dictatorships always fail, eventually.
Before civilisation as we knew it, human tribes had to cooperate with each other, and thus take decisions consensively, in order just to survive, to gather food, and to help ensure continuity. If the chief of a tribe had acted dictatorially, that tribe (or at least the chief) would have undoubtedly not survived long.
It is also clear that whilst democratic societies have flourished, or at least survived, countless dictatorships have fallen and failed-even if in some cases after centuries.
Most humans are naturally cooperative with at least a few other people, and thus to ensure social stability help each other in at least one way. Dictators, by definition, are selfish, arrogant, and uncooperative, and only hold power through fear-not through respect. The economic damage done by dictatorships generally leads to their inevitable overthrow-as has been seen in the undoings of Eastern European dictatorships in 1989, the French Revolution of 1789, and the Russian Revolution of 1917.
This is partly why the free-market state will fail-it is pretty undemocratic in practice, as well as the proponent of a failed economic model. But we need to work together, in order to fight for the green, democratic socialist state that in my opinion, humanity will need this century to make sure that they live to see the 22nd century AD.
Alan.
This time, I only just got through, though, in a close fight between 7 opponents, despite my previous good record of representing my union, and making sure it has a voice within NUS.
This brings me onto the importance of democracy in human society-and why dictatorships always fail, eventually.
Before civilisation as we knew it, human tribes had to cooperate with each other, and thus take decisions consensively, in order just to survive, to gather food, and to help ensure continuity. If the chief of a tribe had acted dictatorially, that tribe (or at least the chief) would have undoubtedly not survived long.
It is also clear that whilst democratic societies have flourished, or at least survived, countless dictatorships have fallen and failed-even if in some cases after centuries.
Most humans are naturally cooperative with at least a few other people, and thus to ensure social stability help each other in at least one way. Dictators, by definition, are selfish, arrogant, and uncooperative, and only hold power through fear-not through respect. The economic damage done by dictatorships generally leads to their inevitable overthrow-as has been seen in the undoings of Eastern European dictatorships in 1989, the French Revolution of 1789, and the Russian Revolution of 1917.
This is partly why the free-market state will fail-it is pretty undemocratic in practice, as well as the proponent of a failed economic model. But we need to work together, in order to fight for the green, democratic socialist state that in my opinion, humanity will need this century to make sure that they live to see the 22nd century AD.
Alan.
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