The roundtable with Bragg was a great survey, looking back, with a laudable absence of most French philosophy in the past 100 years. After some ruminations, it got me thinking about the present.
What is the fundamental duty of an elected ruler? (Not a Philosopher King, Emperor, Dictator, or other model)
•to rule in accordance with the law
•to secure and manage the borders
•to preserve civic order at home
•to uphold the rule of law
•to represent the interests of the country
•to pursue the policy platform on which they were elected
•to govern to the best of their ability, efficiently and accountably
•to govern in a way which enables the people to progressively realize their rights
How are we going with the Leadership of the West, soi disant? Not that well, and certainly not consistently. The polis feels the absence of duty, it reciprocates, and collective trust begins to break down. Electoral politics this year will provide ample instances, but the more perturbing implication is at systemic level.
I’ll leave this with a Taoist quote from the Masters of Huai Nan:
The world can only be entrusted to those who are able to avoid harming their countries by global ambitions and who are able to avoid ruining themselves by national ambition.
Huainanzi, Second Century BCE