China's new intelligentsia

http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=10078

by kradic • 18 years ago

18 3 18 years ago

prospect-magazine.co.uk

johnyzee• 18 years ago

Sounds like Animal Farm on a massive scale.

dangoldin• 18 years ago

Very interesting read; definitely different than the standard China bashing I've been reading.

I remember reading an article how the entire culture is different and where scientists don't disagree with their elders. ((http://www.technologyreview.com/Biotech/16130/page2/)

Nice to see that it's not as simple as that.

cratuki• 18 years ago

As with most of the west, the quoted opinions misunderstand the core strengths of western style of government. The issue of giving people a greater say in their society is of little consequence. If it was critical then the most successful nations would have something like the Athenian model of democracy. The strength of the parliamentary dictatorship models we like to think of as democracies draw their strength from a structure which plays powerful personalities against one another in a model that is non-violent and relatively cheap compared to known alternatives [1]; it gives these personalities motivation to find fault with one another rather than collude [2]; and it providers a resent mechanism for the situation that develops when the ruling grouping begin to take things for granted.

That evolution of the Westminster system is a narrative example I particularly like because it is one of the main models. The story is dominated by reforms aimed to prevent concentrations of power. Magna Carta, church separation (a change of convenience the the ruler of the time but - ultimately beneficial thanks to further developments under Elizabeth I that cemented religious freedom - retained), The Republic (a deliberate but failed attempt at beneficial reform - discarded), evolution of the bicameral parliament to add impediments to overbearing governments left in control of the lower house, evolution of the doctrine of separation of powers.

Novelties such as policy elections do nothing to supply the necessary mechanisms. And they don't give particularly good outcomes - you only need to see the sorts of rubbish that people in the street consider to be important when they vote for someone to see that mainstream people are ill-equipped to make well informed decisions about complex policy arrangements. It is heresy to say this.

[1] The state in Australia with no upper house is the one that is most notorious for corruption and general shonkiness; it has a department to prevent corruption that costs twice what an upper house would.

[2] One of the disadvantages of this is that both sides have an interest in increasing the size of government. Ron Pauls are thin on the ground everywhere.

China's new intelligentsia

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