Aristotle wrote regarding 3 methods that tyrants use in order to stay in power. At first blush, you may be mad that Aristotle showed tyrants how to perpetuate injustice in the world (by keeping their subjects under control). But don’t be so quick to react. By writing down the 3 methods tyrants use, Aristotle gives us ammunition to beat them.
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From a recent paper on the subject, the 3 methods involve making it so that the people:
(1) have small thoughts
(2) are distrustful of one another, and
(3) are incapable of action
Small Thoughts Only
The first method involves shortening the horizon of aspiration for people, making them think that life is all about something relatively unimportant. If you think life is about something unimportant, you will remain blind to the important things in life — such as whether human beings can enjoy freedom or not.
As an extreme example, imagine a program that steered and nudged people in the direction of believing that their main goal in life should be how they can achieve the most “likes” on their FaceBook posts, and that other goals of human life — such as world peace and solving hunger — are less important or should not be strived after.
In short: All of your life energy should be spent on gaining “likes” on FaceBook.
Once you’ve been tricked into thinking that FaceBook “likes” are what you live for, you can then be utilized as a tool by a tyrannical government. A tyrannical government not only exploits those who have such limited views, it encourages that view, so as to maintain more control over more people.
Under this method, whether a given gay couple can get a given baker to bake a wedding cake for them can become an issue of “national importance.” Like having to live through the hell of not having enough FaceBook “likes” — not having the social acceptance of a random baker is considered a crucial impediment to happiness.
It’s as if your specific “identity” (your skin color, your sexual orientation, etc.) underpins all that you are as a human being. But nothing could be further from the truth. It’s a lie that is meant to keep our thinking small.
Sowing Seeds of Distrust
When repressed and dominated people coalesce, they sometimes start scheming about how they can get out from under the thumb of a ruthless tyrant. The tyrants know and expect this — so they attempt to infiltrate movements with covert operatives, people who have been given orders to pretend to be “good guys” in order to breed distrust.
They try to breed division-in-the-ranks.
By pitting personality against personality (e.g., “so-and-so thinks that you are full of yourself; so avoid any projects that involve so-and-so”), these covert operatives keep reform movements from gaining momentum. Some “operatives” might actually be good guys who got duped into thinking that the best way forward is by division.
A rough rule-of-thumb may be that, if someone spends over 10% of their time and energy talking about “personalities” rather than important ideas, then it could mean that they are a willing or unwilling “divider-of-the-ranks.”
Politically Powerless
The third method by which tyrants maintain oppression over people is by preventing the ascension of good people up the ladder of political power. For example, to get to a higher rung on the ladder, it may be required that leaders first obtain blackmail evidence against you. Once they have the requisite leverage over you, you can rise.
When magistrates presumably act out of character or contradict themselves, such as when Justice Roberts declared that the individual mandate from the Affordable Care Act is really just some kind of a “tax,” then you must ask if they have been coopted by special interests who remain in shadows but put pressure on lackeys to do dirty work.
Reference
Jochim, J. (2020). Aristotle, Tyranny, and the Small-Souled Subject. Political Theory, 48(2), 169-191. https://doi.org/10.1177/0090591719851802
Aristotle. Politics. 1314a. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0058%3Abook%3D5%3Asection%3D1314a
Yes Justice Roberts, I recall something about dirt on him regarding the adoption of one of his children (from overseas IIRC), not being entirely on the up and up.