What would Aristotle and his friends say about Trump era?

Sometimes, to face the terrible storm that American political life has transformed, I communicate with my friends from distant antiquity but not so distant to ask them what they think.

Pericles, Demostchen and Cicron. Herakles, Plato, and Aristotle. John Adams, Abigail Adams, James Wilson, James Madison and Cesare Beccaria. I ask: Tell me, old friends, when you see all this madness from a very long distance, what do you see?

They tell me three things.

Remember that you and your fellow citizens face a challenge that no one has faced before.

Remember the difference between principles and tactics.

And remember, always, that in everything you do, set a pattern of good.

What does that mean? I'll tell him. Explain yourself, you men and women of old. (I'm afraid it's true that unless I communicate with the earliest thinkers in time, the voices in my head are mostly men. )

Fortunately, they answer completely. This includes the 18th century Italian lawyer Beccaria.

Well, have you stopped noticing that the people of the world broke out on the eve of the Industrial Revolution? None of us had to design political institutions for a population of more than a few million, after all. None of us lived in a world of more than a billion people. Your world has more than 7 billion people and 2 billion of them are talking to each other on Facebook. Friends, you have a hard job ahead if you want to build and keep the democratic republics. It's not clear at all that the tools we've built for you are all the tools you need. You'll have to think about this matter alone. ”

To that end, the ancients and the early modern people all agreed.

Then the Americans show up. They have a sense of ownership, after all, of modern versions of democratic republics, species that depend on representation in higher degrees and to ease the faction problem. Indeed, they are wavering. For example, Wilson.

Hey, guys, we gave you a ownership operating manual, you know. Didn't you pay attention? We placed it for you in that document that we called our unanimous declaration and that you call the Declaration of Independence. You need to lay a foundation on such a principle and organize government competencies in a form that you think will most likely bring your security and happiness. Turn around and read again. The principle must be related to institutional form; Policy values; Clear ethical beliefs to tactics. On the contrary, I'm afraid you haven't paid much attention to us lately.

This document was obtained by Paul Ryan and his friends and cooked up republican plans for healthcare. A better way, I think the plan was called. Their plan, they say, is built on five principles. The first is Obamacar's power. Oh, God. From here on, we laughed loudly. Empowere Obamacare? This is a tactic, Ryan friend, not a principle. If you cannot tell the difference between tactics and principles, you are lost. You don't even know where to start. As for you Democrats, you're all obsessed with brand and narration, but empty phrases mean nothing if you've lost the ability to think through fundamental principles and to connect narativa with them.

We bow our heads with disappointment. That's why we risked our lives, our destiny and our sacred honor? ”

Fortunately, in this low and dark point of conversation, ancient antiquity, Greeks and Romans interfere in conversation.

That you don't get so bad. Remember, you can never step on the same river twice, but that does not mean that the river is not the same! ”

“How did you say it, Heraklit?” I'll tell him. And he answers: “You can feel that everything is massive inflow and that is changing at an unimaginable rate, but under that change there is still great stability. You are still the American people. You may hate each other very much now, but you are able to fix this, because at least for now, you are still the same old river of proud free people struggling for equality. I know you. ”

River conversation causes Aristotle to speak. I always thought you were wrong about those water metaphors. I think what we need for this circumstance is the metaphor of waves. Each step you take in a pond or lake sends waves out. That's what matters here. The ethical goals of people echo, they set models in motion. Send joys in the wrong way, and this may have some bad effects on the current. And specifically, in terms of equality, it's time for them to understand, right?

Now Plato intervenes: “What is Aristotel again talking about, is kneeling them with your high virtuoso speech and your high aspirations. We can make things easier. Here's what Yankees want to hear: They're not all lost. At the end of the day, these things are simple. Every day, day after day, every human makes choices: They do good or do bad things. Every day, with these choices, we set the pattern for those who will come after us in this world. Set a pattern for the good. Embrace truth, justice, and human kindness.

We didn't do everything right. We messed up slavery and patriarchism. ( After all, I am the only person who argued that women should be politically equal.) But leave the dominant habits of your ethics and you will improve what we have left behind. You can do it. Build a good path, day after day, in your individual actions, even within chaos, and lay a foundation for rebuilding your republic and restoring the health of your society”. / The Washington Post ) Read.al/