Critical Remarks on Political Science

There are tree theories of government in political science: the divine right of Kings, the social contract theory, and the utilitarian theory; all are false, yet each contains some truth. All the above theories are false for the same reason, they are abstractions. It is the nature of abstractions to magnify a part, thus distorting other elements. The trouble happens when the distorted parts of the subject are not recognized as distorted, or even worse dismissed as not existing. An analogy would be magnifying glass, by making a part bigger and more distinct it distorts and the other parts of the object. In this essay I shall attempt a new method to observe and explain the origins and function of government. When I say new method I overstate, it is not new but a novel approach to the subject. The subject being the "why" and "how" peoples gather together to form cultures that can become nations, or states. The approach taken in this essay is an inverse of the usual method. Instead of moving from sensation, and emotions to abstractions; an attempt shall be made the sensations, and emotions that lead to abstractions. Not only is this method not new, it is currently in wide use. The problem being that this method is not recognized as valid. While there is a term for moving to a higher level of abstraction "sublate" there is no term for moving from higher abstractions to lower abstractions, or sensation and emotion. This shows an unconscious bias in thinking, even though half the population regularly tries to communicate by moving from abstraction to shared emotion. I am of course, referring to male-female communications. the main reason men fail to understand women is that women often communicate through shared emotions, instead of universally held abstractions. As Novalis said: "Women demand the intellectual be sensualized" and vice versa for men. Is this a masculine bias in thinking? I shall leave that to feminist theorists to decide. The true basis of culture, society, and government is a combination of shared emotion, and instinct. By instinct I am referring to primate politics, which is innate in human nature. The two specifics that shall be examined are the territorial imperative, and the pecking order, that shall henceforward be referred to as the hierarchical imperative. These two factors the territorial imperative, and the hierarchical imperative are an immutable part of human nature, and any theory that seeks to deny, or change these factors is doomed to failure. It must be acknowledged that I have some intellectual debts to pay in this endeavor. In philosophy the names: Oswald Spengler, Julius Evola, and A.N. Whitehead must be mentioned. In his book "Modes of Thought" Whitehead uses the term "mood" to describe the shared emotions of a culture or civilization. That each culture is a shared mood by a people. On the side of anthropology I must acknowledge Desmond Morris and his book "The Naked Ape'. In history I am indebted to H. Katouzian for his book "The Persians" and specifically to the brilliant introduction. Also before proceeding the terms "culture' and "civilization" need some definition. These definitions are loose by necessity. Civilization is the history of successive or parallel cultures in a geographic area. The two examples that shall be used in this essay are Western civilization, and Middle Eastern civilization. Western civilization is comprised of two cultures: the Classical culture of the Greeks and Romans, and the present day Christian culture that was developed in the Middle Ages. We in fact are a late Medieval people, although in a late and decadent phase of the culture. The present challenge of the West is can it create a new culture to replace the falling Christian culture. Middle Eastern civilization compromises more cultures than the West. The only two that we shall be concerned with are the ancient Persian culture which comprises Achaemenid Persia to the Sassanid empire, and the present Islamic culture of the Middle East. As with Western civilization, Middle Eastern civilization is also failing. The challenge for the Middle East is can it create a culture that can accommodate modern technology and ideas. The Middle East has been dragged into the the crisis of the West, even though the have dealt with the crisis in a different way. Culture is a metaphysical construct, that is the result of the dialectic between human nature and geography. Culture results when humans accommodate themselves to a geographic location (a Land). We shall start with the territorial imperative. Humans like other animals mark their territory. This is of course, the origin of ownership, and property rights. If the occupation of a land is not interrupted by natural or human disasters, the occupation results in a homeland, and has the possibility to become a nation. Our closest relative in the primate family, the chimpanzee also exhibits the territorial imperative. Chimpanzee troops have been known to go to war to defend or enlarge their territory. Chimpanzee troops also have the hierarchical imperative, but let us stay with the territorial imperative. As was said animals mark their territory to warn off invaders. It is easy to recognize the same behavior in humans: building walls, fortresses, etc. Another more subtle way that humans mark territory is through religion. The metaphysical construct of culture is usually embodied in a peoples religion. Religion is the best indicator of the mood of a people. Religion is where a people interrupt their relationship with the cosmos. Of course, this all starts with a particular geographic area. So churches, temples, and mosques become territorial markers. History is full of examples of conquerors building victory temples, churches, and mosques to commemorate their conquests. This is also easily illustrated by religious symbols. One peoples venerated symbols, become symbols of fear and hatred to a competing culture. A modern example of the emotional depth generated by symbols is Saudi Arabia, where it is illegal for a cross or a star of David to be visible. The cross and star of David are symbols of cultures that have competed with Islam for control of territory in the Middle East. As is the case in reverse where the Islamic crescent is feared, and hated in many Christian lands that have suffered under Islamic rule, or aggression. Western civilization and Middle Eastern civilization have often been in conflict, thus making them good examples. The reason why Persia was picked as an example is worth a digression. The reason Persia from the Achaemenid to the Sassanid empires was picked as the archetypal culture was for two reasons. The two principal reasons are the arid climate of Iran is characteristic of the Middle East, and the Sassanid empire was the first developed culture conquered by Islam. The influence of Zorasterinism on Islam is immense, and should be further explored. So to examine the hierarchical imperative we shall illustrate with examples drawn from Persia and the cultures of the West. Unlike Europe , Iran's arid climate did not allow for a land owning nobility to emerge. As was said before it is impossible to separate the two imperatives. Without a hereditary nobility, the ruler of ancient Persia had what is called "estebdad" translated as " arbitrary power" or "arbitrary rule". In simpler terms there was no check on the power of the ruler. He could arbitrarily appoint anyone he chose as governors, or government officials. Remember it was the Barons that forced the Magna Carta on King John of England. No such force existed to check the power of the Shah. This is why stability in government was always an issue in the Persian empires. If the ruler was strong he was considered a just ruler, if not he was weak and there was chaos. In times of crisis there was no noble class to step up and defend the lands. This is why Persian rule collapsed like a house of cards, as do present Middle Eastern governments. Even though a hereditary land owning class put checks on the rulers authority, nobles are the first to defend a land or government in foreign invasions and time so unrest. Noble also have an interest in insuring a stable transition of power. There was no law governing succession in ancient Persia. The usual method was fratricide, or blinding rivals. An interesting example of this is the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror. Mehmed gave some thought to what would happen upon his death. Instead of trying to instate some law governing succession, he legalized fratricide. This illustrates one of the sources of conflict between the West and Middle East since the time of Herodotus. Whether to be governed by laws or men. Iran did not have a revolution for constitutional government until 1906. The Turks until the 1920s with Mustapha Kemal. This should be a lesson to Marxists and progressives without inheritable property rights there is arbitrary rule. This is why the Soviet Union also fell apart like a house of cards, there was no land owning class to defend the government. If a people cannot own property in the land they inhabit, they have no stake in the government of the land. A rootless society leads to an unstable society governed by arbitrary power. We now move to submission signals and the hierarchical imperative. Submission signals cannot be separated from the hierarchical imperative, although in practice they range from shows of respect to ritual humiliation. Chimpanzees will extend a hand, possibly to signify that it can be bitten or assume a prostrate position to signal submission. The act of saluting is a show of respect, probably derived form Knights lifting the visors of their helmets, thus signalling the person they were interacting with was a friend. Having to lay prostrate in front of a ruler is of course ritual humiliation. The more rule by law exists in a culture the less the ritual humiliation. As was stated before Iran and Turkey did not have constitutional governments before the early twentieth century, and most Middle Eastern countries were even later in adopting constitutional government. So we should expect to find ritual humiliation much more prevalent in Middle Eastern civilization, and in this we are not disappointed. The culture of the present day Middle East is Islam. The term "Islam" is defined as submission. Islam was heavily influenced by the ancient Persian religion of Zorastrism, it is hard to overestimate the influence of the Sassanid empire on Islam. Praying five times a day comes from Zorastranism and not the Quran. Muslims pray by touching their foreheads to the ground. It should be no problem recognizing this as ritual humiliation.The act of prostrating oneself to an authority figure signals that the authority figure has total power over the supplicant. Ritual humiliation has a long history in Persian society. As early as Herodotus we read about the act of giving Earth and Water to show submission to the Shah. This ritual of giving Earth and Water was done by laying prostrate in front of the Shah, while dirt and water were poured on the floor with the prostrate supplicant. Again there should be no problem recognizing ritual humiliation. Islamic society has a rigid hierarchy that is enforced through ritual humiliation. The Tizayah or the pole tax is an example. Everyone is aware that non Muslims are expected to pay a special tax, but it is often forgotten that the tax also came with ritual humiliation for the members of other religions. An example can be found in the proclamation of the Ottoman Sultan Murad IV (1623-1640) (taken form C. Finkel's book: "Osman's Dream") : "Insult and humiliate infidels in garment, clothing and manner of dress according to Muslim law and imperial statue. Henceforward, do not allow them to mount a horse, wear sable fur, sable fur caps, satin and silk velvet. Do not allow infidels and Jews to about in Muslim manner and garment. Hinder and remove these kinds. Do not lose a minute in executing the order I have proclaimed." It is instructive and illustrative to compare this proclamation with what was happening in the West. In England the issues were being debater that would lead to the English Civil War. This was the era of Hobbes and Locke. In the Islamic hierarchy Jews are at the bottom, women and non Muslims are below Muslim men as laid out in Sharia law. Islam divides the world into two parts those that have submitted (Muslims) and those who have not (non-Muslims). Those who have not are in the House of War. Even the briefest acquaintance with Islamic history shows that the defeated are suppose to be humiliated. Islam not only allows slavery,but encourages it even sex slavery on defeated populations. Women and children are the prizes of war. Anyone wishing to pursue the subject of ritual humiliation in Islam can find countless examples in Sharia law where the hierarchy is clearly spelled out, and in Islam's treatment of women. It should be noted that Islam did not originate most of these practices, but inherited them from the older culture of Sassanid Persia. Islam was influence by Sassanid Persia on its most basic levels. As was already state the proscription to pray five times a day comes form Zorastrianism. Other Persian customs would be the blinding of rivals, this can be observed in present day London with its epidemic of acid attacks, and the doctrine of eternal war with the West. All are inheritances from Persia. Lets us go back to the beginning where I stated that the three main theories of government wre false, but held some truth. We have already demonstrated the falsity, so let us observe the truth. We shall begin with the divine right of Kings. This seems a poetic way of expressing the hierarchical imperative, and how religion is the guardian of tradition and culture. The social contract theory is an invention of Western civilization. It was invented because the fertile lands of Europe allowed for a property owning class to develop. Which allowed for inheritable property. The utilitarian theory is true that it helps to have other people to help out, but before that can happen the people must be bonded through shared emotions. This essay is meant as a beginning, not an end. A new approach to an old subject. That is why it is incomplete and fragmentary, there much work to be done on the subject. There needs to be more research on the influence of Sassanid Persia on Islam. On how modern technology can change geography and culture. Examples would be how modern farming techniques change the arid land of Israel, and how great oil wealth has change the culture of Saudi Arabia from a nomadic society to a sedentary society. Also it would be interesting if anthropology and zoology would take more interest in political theory. This essay is an invitation to greater work to be done.