Re: When was this written?

[Guest guest]

I am not going to guess when it was written because I will almost certainly

guess right and spoil it for everyone.

Anyone else know?

Administrator

[Guest guest]

Possibly ancient times, Rome, Greece, Mesopotamia, or ???? rl 'My cat Rusty is a servant of the Living God....'adapted from a poem by SmartFrom:

"VISIGOTH@..." To: FAMSecretSociety Sent: Thursday, July 7, 2011 5:03:21 PMSubject: When was this written?

When does anyone think this was written? I'll post the answer later along with some addition material.

“Legislation since this period has followed the course, I pointed out. Rapidlymultiplying dictatorial measures have continually tended to restrict individualliberties, and this in two ways. Regulations have been established every yearin greater number, imposing a constraint on the citizen in matters in which hisacts were formerly completely free, and forcing him to accomplish acts whichhe was formerly at liberty to accomplish or not to accomplish at will. At thesame time heavier and heavier public, and especially local, burdens have stillfurther restricted his liberty by diminishing the portion of his profits he canspend as he chooses, and by augmenting the portion which is taken from himto be spent according to the good pleasure of the public authorities.â€

[Guest guest]

This particular quote was by Herbert Spencer in a work called "Man vs. the State" written in 1884 England. He was arguing for Parliamentary reform because of the dangers that were becoming evident. I found that particular quote in Gustave Le Bon's "Crowds" published in 1896 in the section about Parliamentary assemblies and compares them to any other mob.

I'll post some of what followed that quote but the section on Parliamentary bodies and the dangers they pose if left to the mob, those being the erosion of freedom and fiscal ruin. Ayn Rand mentions these things too in "Atlas Shrugged" when she has the government degenerate into one of pull and favors over what is best for society as a whole and more and more laws and restrictions on the masses while none for those at the top.

Quote

This progressive restriction of liberties shows itself in every country in a special shape which Herbert Spencer has not pointed out; it is that the passing of these innumerable series of legislative measures, all of them in a general way of a restrictive order, conduces necessarily to augment the number, the power, and the influence of the functionaries charged with their application.These functionaries tend in this way to become the veritable masters of civilised countries. Their power is all the greater owing to the fact that, amidst the incessant transfer of authority, the administrative caste is alone in being untouched by these changes, is alone in possessing irresponsibility, impersonality,and perpetuity. There is no more oppressive despotism than that which presents itself under this triple form.

This incessant creation of restrictive laws and regulations, surrounding thepettiest actions of existence with the most complicated formalities, inevitablyhas for its result the confining within narrower and narrower limits of thesphere in which the citizen may move freely. Victims of the delusion thatequality and liberty are the better assured by the multiplication of laws, nationsdaily consent to put up with trammels increasingly burdensome. They do notaccept this legislation with impunity. Accustomed to put up with every yoke,they soon end by desiring servitude, and lose all spontaneousness and energy.They are then no more than vain shadows, passive, unresisting and powerlessautomata.

Arrived at this point, the individual is bound to seek outside himself theforces he no longer finds within him. The functions of governments necessarily increase in proportion as the indifference and helplessness of the citizensgrow. They it is who must necessarily exhibit the initiative, enterprising, andguiding spirit in which private persons are lacking. It falls on them toundertake everything, direct everything, and take everything under theirprotection. The State becomes an all-powerful god. Still experience shows thatthe power of such gods was never either very durable or very strong.This progressive restriction of all liberties in the case of certain peoples, inspite of an outward license that gives them the illusion that these liberties arestill in their possession, seems at least as much a consequence of their old ageas of any particular system. It constitutes one of the precursory symptoms ofthat decadent phase which up to now no civilisation has escaped.

End Quote

http://socserv.mcmaster.ca/~econ/ugcm/3ll3/lebon/Crowds.pdf

The section on Parliamentary mobs starts on page 107. I think it can be read on its own without reading the rest of the work. The quotes I selected came from page 117 to 118. Its interesting how nothing has changed in 100 years, but then looking back into history, you'll see this is how it always was, with a few rare exceptions.

Toward the end of the section is the most frightening part: the life and death cycle of civilizations. I may post that later.

Possibly ancient times, Rome, Greece, Mesopotamia, or ????

rl