Abstract
How did Democratic debate replace violent fighting in politics? The transition from Kingly violence and personal duels to orderly debate and civil discourse is critical for the success or failure of democratic forms of government. And, because of our “animal side,” institutions to limit violence and separate powers are necessary, if democracy is to be maintained. We humans – Homo sapiens – can be either rational, using words to debate contentious policies, or, irrational, using violence and terror to win the political conflict. The Enlightenment Theorists in France, England, and the United States focused on this problem of human “passions” and human “inalienable rights.”
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Notes
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Jane Goodall, In the Shadow of Man, Amazon Paperback, 2015.
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Lewis Henry Morgan, Ancient Society published in 1877, Classics of Anthropology, Amazon.
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Ronald M. Glassman, The Origins of Democracy in Tribes, City-States and Nation-States, Springer International.
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Ibid.
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Aristotle, Politics, (on Sparta), Oxford, UK, Oxford University Press, 1952.
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Aristotle, The Constitution of Athens, Oxford, UK, Oxford University Press, 1954.
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Ibid. (See Solon’s Reforms).
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Aristotle, Politics.
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Aristotle, The Constitution of Athens.
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Plato, The Republic, London, Penguin Classics, 1950, (See Plato’s Critique of Democracy).
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Aristotle, Politics. (See Aristotle on Monarchy).
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Venice remained staunchly oligarchic; on democratic movement was repressed violently.
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Islandic Sagas, edited by Oronol Fur Thorson, Penguin Paperback, 2000, London & NY. See also, Glassman, The Origins of Democracy in Tribes, City-States and Nation-States.
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Ibid.
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Ronald M. Glassman, The Origins of Democracy in Tribes, City-States and Nation-States. (See the section on Norse Tribes).
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The Warship, Oliver Cromwell, was the first warship build in America – in Essex, CT.
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Max Weber, Economy and Society. (Section on the state and its monopoly of violence.).
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In the Icelandic Sagas, the rise of the Norwegian Kingship is described – terrible violence was used to establish Kingly power. See also, Samuel’s warning in The Bible, Books of Judges. (Samuel warns that Kingship will bring misery upon the Hebrew tribes.).
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Henri Frankfort, Kingship and the Gods, Amazon Paperback.
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In China, Mencius warned that the Emperor could become murderous and tyrannical if not reigned in by the Mandarin officials; Xuu Xi argued that the emperor should use force against the people, because the people are untrustworthy and potentially violent.
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Aristotle, Politics. (On Tyranny).
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Max Weber, Economy and Society. (On Caesaropapism).
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Plato, The Republic. (On the mind of the Tyrant.)
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Aristotle, Politics. (On “Polity” the best practical form of government.)
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Aristotle, Politics. (On Law.)
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Titus Livius, History of Rome, London, Penguin Books, 1938.
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Baron de Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws, NY, Penguin, 1952.
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John Locke, The First Treatise on Civil Government, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1952.
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Ibid.
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Herodotus, The Histories, NY Penguin Classics, 1949. (The section on Xerxes and his army.)
- 53.
The Bible, Book of Judges, Samuel; also Isaiah, Book of Prophets. (Both Samuel and Isaiah condemn Kingship as despotic and immoral.)
- 54.
Lord Acton, a German, visiting England, famously stated, “power corrupts, absolutely.”
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Glassman, R.M. (2019). Words vs Violence: Democratic Debate and Civility in Political Discourse. In: The Future of Democracy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16111-8_13
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