History recognizes Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato as among the world’s greatest philosophers and educators. But, as 21st century America heads in a direction many of us born in the early 20th century no longer recognize, there is another philosopher/educator whose words of wisdom we should heed.
Few will recognize the name but Scottish historian Lord Alexander Fraser Tytler (1747–1813) was a man of immense perception when it came to the rise and fall of democracies. His assessment is especially of note in the wake of the Democrat party’s New York City mayoral primary win by socialist Zohran Mamdani—a political candidate who seemingly promises everything to everybody.
Tytler made the following observation about how long democracies can last and the cycle triggering their rise and fall:
A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; From spiritual faith to great courage; From courage to liberty; From liberty to abundance; From abundance to selfishness; From selfishness to apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into bondage.
Mamdani is promoting no-cost services to NYC voters such as “free” bus transportation, “free” child care, city-owned grocery stores that minimize profits by reducing costs, tuition-free colleges, etc. Obviously, such programs would have to be funded by increased taxes aimed primarily at the wealthy and corporations which, undoubtedly, will trigger a wave of relocations. Even New York Democrat governor Kathy Hochul has expressed skepticism about Mamdani’s platform.
We are now approaching the 250th anniversary of our independence—a half century longer than Tytler’s lifespan expectancy and the longest surviving democratic nation the world has ever known. Clearly though, we are now on the cycle’s downside. Where exactly we are in democracy’s death spiral is difficult to gauge, but New Yorkers appear to be seeking sustenance from a stew of both apathy and dependence.
Such a stew mixture is ideal for promoting socialism. Rising costs have opened the door for Mamdani’s free public services platform that will nurture a dependency upon the government. Political apathy adds to the social mix by creating a disconnect between citizens and the state.
Like most leftists who fail to look before they leap, during the height of the 2020 protests over the death of George Floyd while in police custody, Mamdani joined the “defund police” chorus. He suggested the NYPD was “wicked and corrupt” and should be disbanded. But, as reality began to set in, Mamdani later had to walk back his position. NYC can ill afford a mayor whose grasp of reality only comes after he implements the failed policies of socialism.
Mamdani is a snake oil salesman preaching what he knows his voter base wants to hear without them understanding the consequences of what is being promised—i.e., the cycle’s eighth stage of bondage that Tytler warns inevitably follows. New Yorkers who voted for Mamdani have selfishly sold their souls. And, like the author C.S. Lewis wrote, “Once our souls…have been given up, the power thus conferred will not belong to us. We shall in fact be the slaves and puppets of that to which we have given our souls.”
Athens was one of the world’s greatest democracies, enjoying its high point in the fifth and fourth centuries B.C., and lasting 180 years before its demise. Unlike the U.S., it was a direct democracy—i.e., qualifying citizens voted on issues directly rather than electing representatives to do so. But a combination of factors—including political infighting, financial scandals, and military defeats—ultimately led to a crisis of Athen’s legitimacy as a democracy. Failing to appreciate what they had, citizens began questioning their government’s fairness and effectiveness, leading to an environment ripe for considering alternatives. Such consideration ended with the conquest of Athens by Macedonia.
Does a similar fate await America?
Image from Grok.