Mediocrity in power
Jan 17, 2022 2:33:40 GMT -5
Post by bloodbought on Jan 17, 2022 2:33:40 GMT -5
Mediocrity in power
January 16, 2022
By Jacob Fraden
The power of government rests on ignorance of the people, and it knows this, and therefore will always resist enlightenment.
Leo Tolstoy
Every nation has its fair share of people with no useful abilities, yet harboring considerable ambition and an insurmountable craving for la dolce vita. The longing is there, but with no means for its realization. So, what are they to do? Sooner or later the mediocre find a workable solution: they go into politics.
A sufficiently high position in a government structure that doesn’t require any special abilities or talents gives a nearly assured opportunity to receive lucrative benefits, including money, respect, and influence. There is a famous saying: "Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” There is a corollary: Those who can’t teach, govern.
This is how the selection process works: mediocrities float to the top. Thus, government agencies accumulate a number of bureaucratic politicians for whom the main goal in life is to hold on to their positions and, if possible, move up the career ladder. The good of the country and its people becomes secondary and intrusive. Many professional bureaucrats possess just one talent: seizing and holding onto power.
Until recently, leaders of many countries had a clear understanding that the intellectual potential of a society can be of exceptional value to the state and for the preservation of their own power. Even such bloody dictators as Stalin and Hitler allowed a certain degree of free-thinking and independence of ideas in scientific and technical academia. They were well aware that quality education and the existence of an intellectual elite were among the cornerstones of the foundation of their power.
This understanding seems to have been lost in America.
Nowadays, our ignorant leaders don’t understand the importance of studying the sciences, which has led to the systematic destruction of education on all levels. In colleges, the ability to play football is valued far above mathematics. Children in secondary schools often don't study physics, chemistry, biology, and other basic subjects. These have been replaced by an ephemeral discipline called "science," which, like a salad, comprises little bits and pieces of everything.
Continued at link
January 16, 2022
By Jacob Fraden
The power of government rests on ignorance of the people, and it knows this, and therefore will always resist enlightenment.
Leo Tolstoy
Every nation has its fair share of people with no useful abilities, yet harboring considerable ambition and an insurmountable craving for la dolce vita. The longing is there, but with no means for its realization. So, what are they to do? Sooner or later the mediocre find a workable solution: they go into politics.
A sufficiently high position in a government structure that doesn’t require any special abilities or talents gives a nearly assured opportunity to receive lucrative benefits, including money, respect, and influence. There is a famous saying: "Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” There is a corollary: Those who can’t teach, govern.
This is how the selection process works: mediocrities float to the top. Thus, government agencies accumulate a number of bureaucratic politicians for whom the main goal in life is to hold on to their positions and, if possible, move up the career ladder. The good of the country and its people becomes secondary and intrusive. Many professional bureaucrats possess just one talent: seizing and holding onto power.
Until recently, leaders of many countries had a clear understanding that the intellectual potential of a society can be of exceptional value to the state and for the preservation of their own power. Even such bloody dictators as Stalin and Hitler allowed a certain degree of free-thinking and independence of ideas in scientific and technical academia. They were well aware that quality education and the existence of an intellectual elite were among the cornerstones of the foundation of their power.
This understanding seems to have been lost in America.
Nowadays, our ignorant leaders don’t understand the importance of studying the sciences, which has led to the systematic destruction of education on all levels. In colleges, the ability to play football is valued far above mathematics. Children in secondary schools often don't study physics, chemistry, biology, and other basic subjects. These have been replaced by an ephemeral discipline called "science," which, like a salad, comprises little bits and pieces of everything.
Continued at link