SCIENTIFIC HUMANISM - nihil obstat felicitas (X)

5. Politics: Levogira or dextrógira

Today it is possible to summarize practically all "democratic" politics in the world in two camps: left or right. This enormous simplicity is surprising for an act as complex as the government and administration of a nation and its citizens.

The origin of this term is completely accidental and goes back to the National Assembly of 1789 in France. The aristocracy was grouped to the right of the president and wanted to maintain the privileges and interventions of King Louis XVI, while the so-called "patriots" and revolutionaries were grouped to the left. The aristocracy still rules the world. The descendants of kings, dukes, marquises and the so-called nobility continue to hold on to their power and possessions.

In Germany, a rich, modern country where wealth is apparently well distributed among its citizens, a 2015 report by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), promoted by a minister in Angela Merkel's cabinet, revealed the stark reality: less than 1% of the population accumulates more than 40% of the wealth and assets of the entire country, while 50% of the population barely manages to own 2.5%. The study also revealed other disturbing figures, such as the 21% of German children who live in permanent poverty.

This is the reality. Macro figures and statistics mean little and only serve to mask poverty: CPI, average wage, per capita income, etc. Of course, in the rest of the world these figures are even worse than in Germany. In today's world, there is a growing feeling that "politics" and its "politicians" play in a different league that has nothing to do with the reality experienced by its citizens.

The knowledge of the innumerable and overwhelming cases of corruption, influence peddling, abuse of power, and other criminal forms associated with political power, thanks to access to information through the media and especially the Internet, has led citizens to feel deeply disillusioned and deceived by those who are supposed to represent them and who have been entrusted with the management of public resources.

Stéphane Hessel's famous slogan "Outraged!", which launched the misnamed anti-system movement, is still absolutely relevant. Very little has changed. If anything, everything mentioned above is now even more visible: unstoppable corruption, control by a few people over issues crucial to survival such as food prices, energy, water, housing, etc.

Our political system is not working. It has become an economic and social burden on the daily lives of ordinary citizens. Even true and authentic "democracy," when it exists, has its problems (recall the "democratic" assassination of Socrates in Athens in 399 BC). 

The system (democracy), when properly applied, allows a majority to be represented but excludes the rest. On the other hand, a vote every 4 years, at best, proves irrelevant to the many and varied decisions concerning the management of public resources.

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For Scientific Humanism, there is the possibility of a truly participatory and inclusive democracy, where it is not a matter of voting to exclude, but of voting to include. We are talking about making decisions that affect all aspects essential to survival as individuals and as a species, that is, at the planetary level. Decisions about food, water, energy, housing, education, and many others.

On the other hand, true democracy inevitably requires the full participation of citizens, applied in the form of systems of direct democracy in the form of what we call inclusive democracy.

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Bibliography:

"Democracy and Its Critique" (2005) by Robert A. Dahl: In this work, Dahl analyzes the theory and practice of democracy and identifies various criticisms and challenges facing the political system.

"The Age of Indignation: The Challenge of Democracy in the Face of Corruption and Injustice" (2011) by Stéphane Hessel: In this book, Hessel criticizes corruption and abuse of power in the political system and calls for citizen outrage and mobilization.

"Inclusive Democracy (1998) by André Gorz: Gorz argues for a more participatory democracy that focuses on involving all citizens in decision-making.

"Direct Democracy (1970) by Héctor Leis: In this work, Leis argues for the implementation of direct democracy as a form of citizen empowerment and collective decision-making.

"Democracy of the Future" (2016) by Manuel Castells: Castells examines the changes in society and politics in the digital age, and proposes new models of democracy based on citizen participation and the use of technology.

"Participatory Democracy (2007) by Carole Pateman: Pateman explores the idea of participatory democracy as an alternative to the representative model and argues for greater citizen involvement in political decision-making.