Three Pillars of Pseudocracy

          From the annals of the National Liar

          V2#2, October 31, 1995

          Three Pillars of Pseudocracy

 

          Pseudocracy is government of the lies, by the lies, and for the lies; it is where yes becomes no, up becomes down, bad becomes good, and true becomes false. Naturally pseudocracy is paradoxical; double-think is how it (un)works.

          Pseudocracy, being a form of government (albeit the worst one) has three manifestations; via the Sword, the Coin, or the Pen – that is, by force, by trade, or by dialog. Pseudocracy corrupts each of these, via:

          Negative Justice – corrupting the State;

          Counter-Efficiency – corrupting the Market;

          Reverse Rationality – corrupting the Language.

          These are the Unholy Trinity of Pseudocracy.

          Negative Justice is even less justice than injustice. Injustice commonly means a mere indifference to justice; as having other motives, such as power or money; whereas negative justice is very actively concerned about right and wrong; it just has the sides reversed. To beat a negative-justice rap, just blame the victim.

          Under justice, an accused defendant is released if found innocent. Under injustice, the accused is released if found rich. Under negative justice, the accused is released if found guilty.

          Case in point; the Menendez brothers.

          Counter-Efficiency is even less efficient than inefficiency. Counter-efficiency is efficient inefficiency; when the “shadow work” needed to stay in the system exceeds the work done by the system. Shadow work is counter-efficiency’s dark empire; it is waste motion; technological entropy; when luxuries become necessities.

          Case in point; Windows ‘95.

          Reverse Rationality is even less rational than irrationality. Reverse rationality is double-think;  when yes is no, up is down, bad is good, and true is false.

          Under reverse rationality, the “alternatives” are part of the status quo. Each option is carefully weighed, check, measured – and from this, precisely the wrong choice is made! (Not approximately, mind you; precisely!)

          Reverse rationality's Latin motto is “Credo Quia Falsum Est”: I Believe It Because It Is False.

          Case in point: The Contract With America.

          Under pseudocracy, it is revolutionary to think clearly, act sensibly, and speak honestly. If reflection, prudence and honesty are natural (or at least habitual) to you then you will be a revolutionary.

          This requires faith, hope and courage; you will face pressure to conform to the party line. If you doubt, if conformity seems tempting, then remember; yes is not no, up is not down, bad is not good, and true is not false. Draw the line! It’s your mind!

 

          Postscript; Plato the Republican

          Plato’s Republic postulated a perfect aristocracy. It is divided into three castes; the commoners, the guardians, and the philosopher-kings. Their economics and ideologies fit their condition. The commoners compete in a Darwinian free-market environment, and thus produce the economic surplus needed to support the other two castes. The guardians are those who took, but did not pass, a ruling-class exam; they have police, army and executive duties. The philosopher-kings are the best and the brightest; they run the system, and profit from it.

          Thus we get a spectacle much like the “socialism for the rich, capitalism for the poor” which defines post-cold-war economics. The emerging socio-economic pattern seems new, but it was described by this Ancient Greek Republican. (A Grand Old Party indeed!) Its most starling feature; Plato’s frank admission that the ruling class must rig the system in its favor, and lie about that to retain power. Pseudocracy in action!

          But even crafty Plato had to admit that his Aristocracy is unstable; that the tides of history shall transform it, as it does all else. Aristocracy degenerates into timocracy, or what we call plutocracy; this degenerates into oligarchy; this in turn degenerates into monarchy; this in turn degenerates into anarchy; this in turn degenerates into democracy. Plato, the aristocrat, regarded democracy as the lowest form of government; but I disagree. Beneath democracy is pseudocracy; and beneath that is Plato’s Republic. Round and round it goes!