"Ostracism" was a Greek method of ensuring that politicians didn't get too powerfull - they would be shut out of Athens, and therefore would lose their authoriy and influence, and ability to gain further power.
In BC, we have recall of elected officials. Thats getting close to Ostracism, but we don't banish them from the large cities like the Greeks did.
I would extend the system of Ostracism to anyone who is gaining too much power through wealth, not just politicians who gain too much power thru 'politicing'.
When individuals get too wealthy, democracy is threatened, people can be paid off or undercut, overwhelmed by money, etc. Its not right that an individual could attain so much of a portion of a nation's wealth, since wealth requires infrastructure and supports of all kinds from the public sphere.
We in this modern first world have been trained to believe that the economy is absolutely dependant on investments from the wealthy, and therefore we not only let them, but encourage them and pat them on the back for getting filty rich. Its not true - growth and investment can be done in any number of ways, and even the past resort of a socialist government doing it is just as good as individuals doing investments in new risky projects that keep people working and happy.
Concentration of wealth is a dangerous thing for democracy and for the well-being of any civilisation. It creates unrest and it creates jealousy. It also creates an imbalance in the economy, and more poverty tends to creep into societys with concentrations of wealth like we have now.
So OSTRACISE them!! Let them have their fortresses, or private islands, whatever, but get them out of the public sphere where they will continue to erase the ideal of equality by concentrating the wealth of a nation further.
Def. of classical Athenian "Ostracism" -
PS - hey! I never heard of this in MY history classes. Maybe I was asleep, because I am sure I would have glommed onto this idea long ago if I had known it was actually used to the benefit of the great ancient Greek civilisation.
In BC, we have recall of elected officials. Thats getting close to Ostracism, but we don't banish them from the large cities like the Greeks did.
I would extend the system of Ostracism to anyone who is gaining too much power through wealth, not just politicians who gain too much power thru 'politicing'.
When individuals get too wealthy, democracy is threatened, people can be paid off or undercut, overwhelmed by money, etc. Its not right that an individual could attain so much of a portion of a nation's wealth, since wealth requires infrastructure and supports of all kinds from the public sphere.
We in this modern first world have been trained to believe that the economy is absolutely dependant on investments from the wealthy, and therefore we not only let them, but encourage them and pat them on the back for getting filty rich. Its not true - growth and investment can be done in any number of ways, and even the past resort of a socialist government doing it is just as good as individuals doing investments in new risky projects that keep people working and happy.
Concentration of wealth is a dangerous thing for democracy and for the well-being of any civilisation. It creates unrest and it creates jealousy. It also creates an imbalance in the economy, and more poverty tends to creep into societys with concentrations of wealth like we have now.
So OSTRACISE them!! Let them have their fortresses, or private islands, whatever, but get them out of the public sphere where they will continue to erase the ideal of equality by concentrating the wealth of a nation further.
Def. of classical Athenian "Ostracism" -
PS - hey! I never heard of this in MY history classes. Maybe I was asleep, because I am sure I would have glommed onto this idea long ago if I had known it was actually used to the benefit of the great ancient Greek civilisation.
