Will Humanity Be Exploited?#
Throughout history, people have envisioned an ideal society. From the Great Harmony society to communist society, from utopia to others. Perhaps it is a small goal, such as a moderately prosperous society, a democratic society, a rule-of-law society, or a welfare state... Perhaps it is a reminiscence of ancient societies, a longing for Greek society, or the so-called Yao, Shun, and Yu era of Confucianism.
On the other hand, there is a society where extreme exploitation, oppression, and oppression of people are common phenomena. Perhaps some slaves in a slave society were whipped to build pyramids, or perhaps in the feudal society, Emperor Qin sent laborers to build the Great Wall, or perhaps in capitalist society, people worked in factories tightening screws. In such a society, individuals lose their freedom and dignity, becoming objects of the rulers' control.
It is evident that oppression has always existed, and exploitation is everywhere. However, utopia remains utopia; the so-called ideal society still exists only in ideals. Just as I remember a certain zero-point essay, I would rather live in the news xx. At the end of the article Transcending the Illusions of Marxism, I lamented:
It is not difficult to point out others' mistakes, just as it is easy to replace private ownership with public ownership. But how to solve the problem of human exploitation, whether we need to solve the problem of human exploitation, whether humanity will be exploited, when will humanity not exploit animals, and when will humans be exploited by animals? ... These questions are the most perplexing, even terrifying.
If there are three theories: the theory of oppression, the theory of utopia, and the theory of compromise, I might choose the theory of compromise.
Because oppression is certain. When humanity forms groups, oppression has already arisen. Groups, like individuals, need brains, limbs, mouths, and anuses, muscles, and fat... For this group to grow, it must differentiate countless organizations and form new organs. Brain cells and sperm are both parts of the human body, but they perform different tasks. Although I do not understand biology, if measured by lifespan, the survival times of different cells vary greatly. In human society, differences in ability and opportunity, different occupational divisions, and unequal access to resources mean that people are essentially unequal.
Article 33, Paragraph 2 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China states that all citizens of the People's Republic of China are equal before the law.
Although the constitution cannot be directly used as a basis for judgment, please note that the constitution only states that everyone is equal before "the law," which does not mean that individuals are equal to one another. The so-called equality in the constitution only refers to equality in the application of the law.
Once a person enters a group, it is like being captured by a river system. In the face of absolute power disparity, it is no longer a mantis trying to stop a car, but a grain of sand in the vast sea. Therefore, being exploited is the norm and inevitability within the group.
The Limitations of Human Exploitation#
There is a viewpoint that building pyramids is an extremely delicate task that slaves cannot accomplish; it requires free men to complete.
But the reason why a person is a person, even if they are just a lowly individual within a group, is that there is a possibility of identity exchange between individuals. In human society, there are countless pigs and sheep; although people eat meat, most have never even heard the last gasp of a pig before it dies, yet pigs can never become humans. As long as individuals from different classes can be interchangeable, then this civilization can be reshuffled and rebuilt. But if one class of people becomes pigs, or another class becomes dragons, then this civilization will absolutely perish, and a new civilization will be born. As for those originally called humans, they have become pigs. And this civilization is no longer called humanity, but the civilization of dragons. Just as although kangaroos may outnumber humans in Australia, kangaroos are merely objects of humans.
Since individuals can be replaced by one another, it does not mean that common people cannot govern the country. However, the differences in intelligence, education, and social status among individuals may become obstacles to class mobility, but generally speaking, including the possibilities for their children are limitless. Everyone still exists within the physical and physiological realm of being human. In this sense, Rawls' veil of ignorance can be cast, allowing for the discovery of a mechanism to achieve justice.
Therefore, to achieve this goal, I assume that all parties are behind a veil of ignorance. They do not know how various choices will affect their own specific situations; they must evaluate principles based only on general considerations.
Thus, we assume that parties do not know certain specific facts. First, no one knows their position in society, their class background, their innate qualities and natural abilities, or their intelligence and strength. Second, no one knows their concept of good, the particularity of their reasonable life plans, or even their psychological characteristics: such as a dislike for risk, optimistic or pessimistic temperament. Third, I assume that parties do not know the economic or political conditions of this society or the level of civilization and culture it can achieve. — Rawls, A Theory of Justice, Veil of Ignorance
Breaking Out of the Deadlock of Group Exploitation#
The Eternal Deadlock of Exploitation#
It is precisely because of the physical similarities among people and the resulting interchangeability that there is the complaint, "Are kings and nobles born with a different kind?" Therefore, when exploitation reaches its peak, the collapse of the empire naturally follows. And the rise and fall of the world brings suffering to the common people. The people advocate loyalty to the monarch and serving the country, upholding the state. But the rulers are like drug addicts drinking poison to quench their thirst, and various interest groups are like excess flesh that is hard to remove, making it difficult to uphold the state. Self-mutilation can indeed exchange for decades of peace, but not every ruler can bear the pain of self-inflicted wounds.
This is the eternal flaw of a centralized society. As stated in The Financial Code of the Central Empire:
In a centralized society, financial expansion is inevitable. Even if a small government and small finances can be achieved in the early stages of a dynasty, as the number of bureaucrats expands and government functions grow, the demand for financial revenue will increase, ultimately crushing the private economy.
Attempts to Break Free from Exploitation#
In light of this, to solve the problem, there are two paths. One is to limit desires, alleviate exploitation, and transform the relationship between the ruling class and ordinary individuals within the group. The other is to not limit desires, exacerbate exploitation, and transform ordinary individuals to create a social foundation with a high tolerance for exploitation.
As mentioned earlier, it is precisely because of human interchangeability that revolutions can succeed, making fairness and justice possible. It is this very fact that makes exploitation morally condemnable. Because everyone has infinite possibilities, especially the infinite possibilities that the group cares about, there is a necessity to construct a utopia and a necessity for fairness and justice. A more stable society with relatively less exploitation becomes the greatest interest of the entire group under the veil of ignorance.
To maintain the long-term rule of the ruling class, this exploitation must remain within certain limits, maintaining the stability of group order over time. This is not only a requirement of the ruling class but also a requirement of the group. Being ruled means accepting the order of the group; regardless of who creates the order, this order is needed to achieve functional division.
Autocracy and Democracy#
In essence, democracy is the system that confirms democratic facts through legal procedures, constructing a democratic system so that the will of the majority can control political power. However, public opinion controlling political power does not mean public opinion controls society. Public opinion merely provides a low-cost path to resolve revolutionary disputes. The reason the U.S. Constitution stipulates the right of the people to resist is that even without this stipulation, the people will still resist when they need to. Stipulating the right to resist allows revolution to be a means of resolving disputes without completely destroying order, making it impossible to end.
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. — Second Amendment to the United States Constitution
Because individuals are interchangeable, exploitation is inevitable. For long-term exploitation, governance, or the survival of the group, there must be a boundary between the rulers and the ruled, or there must be a boundary of power.
The fact of democracy needs the protection of the rule of law, and the rule of law that controls power needs the support of democratic facts. Only such a society can avoid self-destruction and the periodic pain of revolution. It can be said that autocracy and democracy, or human governance and rule of law, are intertwined.
At the same time, to develop democratic facts, the group pays more attention to the development of individuals, giving individuals certain freedoms to develop their own diversity, thus contributing to the democratic system. Therefore, individuals in a democratic society appear as persons because democratic society needs people, not as objects or tools.
In summary, democracy is a stable development model of the group that controls power through a series of systems to restrain arbitrary desires. However, the resources and opportunities required to maintain democratic facts are enormous. The efficiency of governance will decline, while the rate of decision-making errors may decrease.
However, in an autocratic society, to maintain its ruling model, it must, on one hand, transform the degree to which individuals can endure exploitation, and on the other hand, continuously eliminate its inherent flaws — the excessive desires of the ruling class. Therefore, "maintaining the purity of the revolutionary ranks" and "turning the blade inward" is not an empty phrase. It is a necessity for maintaining rule. On one hand, killing and reshuffling do not have much significance; they are merely routine.
As for transforming the degree to which individuals can endure exploitation, in the article Human Nature and Politics 人性與政治, I believe that the Legalist view of human nature is a perspective on transforming human nature. That is, shaping individuals who are more suitable for exploitation from the perspective of human nature. Specific methods of transformation are as stated in The Book of Lord Shang.
Since ancient times, theories of human nature have often served politics, and Shang Yang's theory of fame and profit is particularly pronounced. Any theory of human nature related to politics must advocate for the transformation of human nature. Today, people value fame and profit; the control of desires and the emergence of benefits mentioned in The Book of Lord Shang are remarkably similar to today. In the new system of work, housing, and reproduction, human desires are stimulated, direction is lost, and most people become a part of the system from which they cannot escape. But if a person has only limited desires, their situation is truly like competing for a rotting rat. Controlled by one desire, they lose countless benefits. — Human Nature and Politics
However, transforming human nature is only one aspect. In "The Limitations of Human Exploitation," I mentioned that the reason individuals form groups, rather than being mere objects of the group, is due to the interchangeability of individuals within the group. If a form of autocratic rule can endure, it must also start from "the interchangeability of individuals," as this is the source of revolution. Pigs and sheep have been ruled for thousands or even tens of thousands of years; why have they not succeeded in rebellion? Because pigs and sheep are different species from humans, and the power disparity between pigs, sheep, and humans is enormous. If one wants to maintain long-term rule, they need to physiologically and physically transform the ruled into another kind of pig or sheep, or make the rulers into a more powerful being.
Thus, hierarchical rule, household registration systems, artisan registration, military registration, family planning, and other systems become so important. Of course, achieving a situation where one group consists of two species is relatively difficult. Ultimately, it is about making a portion of people unable to replace another portion. Can we create two groups with different intelligences through biotechnology? Can we prohibit intermarriage through reproductive isolation?
The influence of the caste system in India is profound. In addition to the four classes with hierarchical order, there is also a fifth class of untouchables. India, as the world's largest democracy, has stipulated the caste system in its constitution to protect "untouchables." This shows that autocratic systems can fundamentally change a nation's character.
In today's world, where biotechnology is advanced, creating a new caste system using biotechnology may not be unfeasible. Of course, everything returns to the essence of the relationship between individuals and groups — interchangeability.
Conclusion#
In facing the relationship between individuals and groups, indeed some people pursue democracy, but the pleasure and stimulation brought by autocratic society are undeniable for its upper class. Because compared to democratic societies, rulers in autocratic societies can enjoy services that democratic societies provide for money, as well as services that cannot be bought with money.
Democracy and autocracy are not a question of which is stronger or weaker, nor can we accurately measure which is stronger or weaker. Democracy relies on the infinite potential brought by individual development, while autocracy relies on the obedience and effectiveness derived from the degree of exploitation of the ruled. Comparing the strengths of these two as a measure of institutional superiority is meaningless. If autocracy can establish a new caste, it may not be unable to endure. Although democracy emphasizes individuals, it may not escape premature demise.
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