“It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere.”
François-Marie Arouet (1694-1778)
His nom de plume was Voltaire
So often the explanation for perplexing behavior—as by
voters and non-voters—is some variation of this derisive insight from the
Enlightenment philosopher who was, au fond, more of a populist than he was an
elitist.
The deep truth of Voltaire’s epigram haunts my efforts to
understand the motivations of most of my fellow citizens. It exposes a flaw in
the conceptual foundation of a representative democracy.
(Thanks to my trusted personal advisor for this one.)
Copyright © Richard
Carl Subber 2015
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