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Anon judges Karl (thelemmy.club)
submitted 3 months ago by [M] to c/greentext@sh.itjust.works
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[–] 2 points 3 months ago (2 children)

If we measure the success of a political theory by its ability to take, hold and exercise power

The success of a political theory should be measured by its ability to improve quality of life. Taking power may be a prerequisite, but that alone is not success. Seeing the seizure of state power as an end in itself is a mistake that leads to an authoritarian dead end.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 months ago* (1 child)

    By your definition the billionaires and the politicians they back would be unsuccessful political actors as they're making the quality of life worse for most people. I'd say they are very successful political actors, and that is the problem.

    In my opinion politics is "war without bloodshed". It is a means by which a group can accomplish certain goals that another group opposes.

    One side could have a goal of improving the quality of life for the poor while the other could have a goal of improving it for the rich. Politics is what both sides do to try and accomplish there goals.

    Political theory is like military theory in the sense that it lays out strategies to defeat the opposition and accomplish those goals. While a military theory is proven correct by winning a battle, a political theory can be proven correct by winning an election.

    Politics is a means, not an end. The end/goal is determined by ideology , class position, self interest, racism etc.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 months ago

    You don't have to adopt the ruling elites' definition of success. You talk about politics being a means and not an end, but you still insist on calling winning an election success. If the end/goal is determined by ideology then so is the criteria for success, and my personal criteria for success is improving quality of life for as many people as possible. Winning an election can be a means to that end, but just seizing power does not by itself merit the political theory that enabled it. Fascism has proven quite capable of seizing power in liberal democracies with capitalist economies, but I would certainly not call that success.

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