Peaceful revolution is "politics"
In a recent conversation, I mentioned that I believe Politics is more important than Revolution, and that it is connected to the idea of What is Conservatism?. I made this statement in the context of "I think only smart people can do that", emphasizing the need for intelligence in political decision-making. I also mentioned the Prisoner's Dilemma, stating that if there are no rules to protect everyone, society will descend into lawlessness. This leads to the argument that it is better to defend oneself in such a situation. However, it seems that there may have been a misunderstanding between me and the person I was talking to regarding the concept of the Prisoner's Dilemma. Even if one attempts a revolutionary action with intelligence, it can only be done within the existing political framework, which is democracy. However, in a democratic society, the interests and sympathies of the people play a significant role in their voting behavior, making it difficult for a revolution based on intellectual approaches to succeed if there is no interest or empathy towards the action. This is where the concept of Populism and Democracy comes into play. It is important to note that democracy here refers to the system, such as the indirect democracy practiced in Japan through elections. However, if one wants to pursue a revolution through intellectual approaches while preserving the current form of democracy, it becomes necessary to win elections or pass bills through majority votes in the parliament, which can be challenging. This is the intention behind the original tweet. In the current democratic system, it is inevitable that voting is based on Egoism. Therefore, it is important to make the essence of the "intellectual approach" transparent rather than keeping it as a black box in order to gain widespread empathy. This is similar to the principles of Law and Constitution. Idea, Commons, Common Law, and even something like the Hippocratic Oath may be relevant in this context. In summary, democracy is a peaceful revolution mechanism that allows for a change of rulers without bloodshed. I had a change of heart after witnessing people expressing similar sentiments in New York the day after Donald Trump was elected president. Through conversations with Trump supporters in the Midwest and the South, I realized the power of democracy. November 3, 2021