That argument comes from an idealistic view of things and that is never a good way to analyse the world. Don't underestimate the power of systems.
Eduneum
joined 4 months ago
When it comes to the french revolution the answer is easy: This was not a workers revolution - it was a bourgeois revolution. It means that feudal lords were replaced with capitalists. As you said, the power went from one small group to another small group, but it still changed an economic system - feudalism to capitalism. The russian revolution is still the better example that should be studied. It abolished feudalism and got a step further to a form of socialist experiment.
I guess there will always be bad people that are hungry for power and have no morals, as you said - no matter the system. Corruption will always be a thing, but it is important to have a system that sanctions it properly and that allows society to have a clear moral stance on such behaviour.
You are right - one has to look at ALL of human history. Most of it was in cooperation. Give, take, share and everyone has plenty. Feudalism and after that capitalism have shrunk our peer group further and further and told us selfishness is the core of the human psychology - it is not and we will overcome this.
Anarchist tendencies have some inherent philosophical and practical flaws unfortunately. Anarchism relies on a naive, idealistic view of human nature, falsely assuming people are inherently good and cooperative once state authority is removed. Selfishness does stem from capitalist competition and private property, meaning solidarity cannot simply be unlocked by abolishing the state, but must be consciously organized through a new economic system.
I agree - but the workers and the public should be the same entity!
Time to change that bullshit once and for all. We can't vote ourselfs out of that.
The good and effective dictator, that rules just and only has the well-beeing of his people in mind. Sounds good right? It might actually have existed a few times in history, but is the absolute exception. The reason for that is, that it includes an individual that has to have absurdly high moral standards and compassion in a system that encourages a totally different behaviour. Where should this moral come from? When somthing like that happens, it is not more than a fluke.