Benevolent Dictatorship Is Never the Answer - A Philosophical Look Into The "Whale Experiment" And The Heart Of Steemit.
A paternal hand is not the answer
Many Steemians now long for whale leaders who know what is in their best interests, and who rule with kindness to guide the dolphins and minnows on the Steemit path of wisdom. There are many good whales on here like @smooth, but there are also some bad ones that vary by personal opinion.
The whales who rule Steemit with care reminds me of Plato's idea of the philosopher-king. It's a very enticing picture, but at the end of the day it's asking the wrong question.
Throughout political history, philosophers have moved away from the benevolent dictatorships and all their ugliness to the more progressive democracy - along with it's own ugliness too.
They had finally switched the question from "who could best rule?" to "what system prevents the worst rule?"
The road to democracy
Yes, we can all agree that democracy allows us to throw out the dregs that do not deliver on their political promises, and this in itself does not deliver us from the worst kind of rule either. Corruption still exists. As does vast inequality. Just look at what globalisation has done to our world.
These ills can feel dangerous to us and make us fearful - just like a benevolent dictatorship. But a benevolent dictatorship is not the answer - it is the equivalent of playing Russian roulette where every chamber in the gun leads to a Yanukovych or much more.
Now go Google Yahukovych if you must. I'm off for a coffee. Fair-trade of course.
Muse on democratically.
[Post inspired by @kevinwong]
shhhh just keep pumping steem
You sycophant @matrixdweller ... goto your room with no meme-ing for a week! Your grounded!
WHO decides who's "good or bad" ? At the end its all about your personal view and opinion on issues. To be honest I do not like to be downvoted for every post I make but I try to focus on the so called GOOD of the whale you mentioned.
"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibility while bad people will find a way around the law " - Plato
Enter the @mammasitta into the Platonic landscape. Welcome. I do love your quote. 'Good or bad? The morality of Steemit' - that sounds like a new post headline to me!
Lets collaborate ! You write your version and I do mine and we post both with the same subject line but add our names
OK, you go first and you can tag me later with your link here :)
I commented with a new post in mind :) I might steel your subject line though hahaha Luv IT !
Permission to steal headline @mammasitta - I know you can make full use of it ;)
you are too kind and so generous with such great subject line idea. I might go for.
Let the moral philosophy commence @mammasitta! ....
SCREW IT! I've just fired it out into the Steemian universe! ENJOY!!
https://steemit.com/philosophy/@mindhunter/time-for-moral-philosophy-on-steemit-good-vs-bad-expectations-vs-reality-get-ready-to-be-plugged-into-the-matrix
My article is now complete - ready when you are :)
nice post @mindhunter
A look at the darker side of Steemit - we must embrace our shadow self as well as our cheerful self :) :(
I agree. Excellent analysis @mindhunter
We need a Garry Kasparov to liberate us from CCCP Steemit!
IRL benevolent dictatorships will wreck and ruin things, I guess the internet is okay to do such experiments since people are not actually getting hurt, plus this being a voluntary platform. But one exceptional example is with Singapore, it is dictatorship done right lol (although i dont agree with powerful, centralised states)
Singapore just doesn’t fit the world’s categories. It’s a dictatorship with free speech, no fear, and no corruption. It’s an economy that uses capitalist means to attain socialist ends. Singapore University scholars call it a “meritocratic, elitist, Confucianist, bureaucratic state”.
Yes it's pretty special! Although I do feel a sense of dread whenever I'm hanging out in that country. About free-speech.. not really. There was this kid who's getting lots of crap from the government from talking down on the leaders. And he was only 15/16 when it all started.
http://mothership.sg/2017/03/amos-yee-said-he-is-scared-of-returning-to-spore-if-us-asylum-bid-fails/
I agree about the sense of dread. Anti-social behaviour is not permitted in Singapore. The fine for littering is $250. Jaywalking, spitting, and smoking in government offices are also fined $250. Gambling, except for the state lottery, is illegal. The punishment for drug trafficking is death. SCARY!!
P.S. I'm surprised the #singapore tag is not bigger on Steemit as a result!
P.S. Whatever you call it, by all appearances and measures it works astoundingly well — so far, anyway.
Attention all Kantians! Prepare to enter the Matrix mind of Steemit!!
https://steemit.com/philosophy/@mindhunter/benevolent-dictatorship-is-never-the-answer-a-philosophical-look-into-the-whale-experiment-and-the-heart-of-steemit
Awesome post 👍😉
If we want to move forward Karen, we must look inwards no matter how painful.
Well, as everyone knows, Democracy is not the best system of government but it is the most safe and guaranteeing. The best system of government is the so-called Enlightened Despotism. The problem with enlightened despotism is that yes, you can have, by chance, a very good tyrant who applies his power for the best, but when his time is over no one knows who will follow, and how he will rule.
Moreover, enlightened despotism is a paternalistic form of government, in which people are not called to take responsabilities in the community and to be part of the government. Democracy, on the other hand, largely failed about that - as regards the current forms of democracy, I mean.
But this is just sophistic pedantry ;)
In Steemit, we have a prince and many lords (or an Owner with a Board of Directors) and a little village of workers and farmers (or little stakeholders). Everyone works for his own interest (not necessarily a selfish one), and each one knows what his interest is (but not for sure what the other's ones are). Here we have to leave Philosophy and run another discipline: Sociology. But now I'm going to have a coffee break ;)
I do love that first sentence and your enlightened dictator analysis. Enjoy that coffee! Make sure it's Fair-trade! Ha ha!
I believe in benevolent dictators. Healthy democracy requires an informed electorate.
Dictatorships can be beneficial in early chaotic societies where there is no clear direction, or concensus.
Also I don't believe in democracy. I've never seen it 😊
Your chair awaits to enter The Matrix .... https://steemit.com/philosophy/@mindhunter/time-for-moral-philosophy-on-steemit-good-vs-bad-expectations-vs-reality-get-ready-to-be-plugged-into-the-matrix
I agree that the whales shouldn't have so much power.
I think the way it is working now is that they will always grow stronger at a faster rate than anyone else can grow.
The experiment is showing that it would be better for average users to have more voting power. The whales are just too weighted, and always growing weightier.
Amen to all of that @riskdebonair
What is good and what is evil? That's all subjective and varies upon region and culture . Why are we on a perpetual mission to impose our beliefs upon a people? Why do we as a species often times assume our "morals" must be infringed upon a people even if it costs lives? Who are we to say what's right and what's wrong? There is no higher being that ordained this, no unwritten code to follow. Sometimes a way of life in a region is instilled for a reason what works here won't work elsewhere
Correct. I've also discussed this in another post today that you can find here: https://steemit.com/philosophy/@mindhunter/time-for-moral-philosophy-on-steemit-good-vs-bad-expectations-vs-reality-get-ready-to-be-plugged-into-the-matrix
Thanks for the link, will read.
A lot of the words look Iike I'd stolen them from your last comment! Ha ha!
Cliche, but great minds think alike.
Please do keep checking my timeline from time to time for more philosophy posts @sumerianprince - thanks for passing by.