The God of the Machine - Tranche #8
Posted by mshupe 1 year, 5 months ago to Government
Chapter 3, Excerpt 2 of 3
Rome Discovers Political Structure
The value of . . . law in its primary use in framing legislation is clear. Rome alone, in the ancient world, had found the political principle which would accommodate the potential energy already released. It sets moral sanctions above force, while recognizing human fallibility. The political organization of republican Rome worked on the mechanical sequence of block and tackle, the power line going up a vertical structure from a fixed base, to operate an extensor arm.
Time and distance are the two factors which necessitate formal government. While confined to its appropriate area, the political structure of the Roman republic was the strongest that has yet been put together. The permanent acquisition of conquered provinces changed the whole set-up. Hence the sudden ascension to world power literally tore Rome apart. The extensor weakened as it lengthened, while the load it clutched was much greater.
What happened was that the primary direction of the current energy was reversed. With the world in fee, an incalculable flow of energy poured into Rome from external sources, a centripetal force, conveyed by the money from the provinces. Money is indispensable to a long-circuit heavy load energy system. To adapt the disrupted mechanism of Rome, parts had to be interlocked by an indivisible nexus and semi-automatic distributor. Practically any man who would do for the job would do.
Rome Discovers Political Structure
The value of . . . law in its primary use in framing legislation is clear. Rome alone, in the ancient world, had found the political principle which would accommodate the potential energy already released. It sets moral sanctions above force, while recognizing human fallibility. The political organization of republican Rome worked on the mechanical sequence of block and tackle, the power line going up a vertical structure from a fixed base, to operate an extensor arm.
Time and distance are the two factors which necessitate formal government. While confined to its appropriate area, the political structure of the Roman republic was the strongest that has yet been put together. The permanent acquisition of conquered provinces changed the whole set-up. Hence the sudden ascension to world power literally tore Rome apart. The extensor weakened as it lengthened, while the load it clutched was much greater.
What happened was that the primary direction of the current energy was reversed. With the world in fee, an incalculable flow of energy poured into Rome from external sources, a centripetal force, conveyed by the money from the provinces. Money is indispensable to a long-circuit heavy load energy system. To adapt the disrupted mechanism of Rome, parts had to be interlocked by an indivisible nexus and semi-automatic distributor. Practically any man who would do for the job would do.
Hence, in trying to understand Paterson’s explanation in terms of engineering principles to the Roman Empire and these explanations applicability to current-day America (which is the purpose of mshupe’s exercise) require the most rigorous thought process.
For instance, Tower Cranes used in the construction of tall buildings exhibit the identical principles of a block and tackle with the vertical member, anchored to the Earth, carrying the entire weight of the crane itself including the horizontal extension arm plus the construction materials being lifted. The maximum length of the horizontal arm is determined by the strength of the materials used in its construction. It is not possible today to construct a Tower Crane with the vertical member situated in midtown NYC with the horizontal member covering all five boroughs. It would collapse.
Therefore, Paterson’s explanation that Rome’s extensor load exceeded its capacity at Rome’s maximum expansion of its Empire rings with perfect clarity. What puzzles this mind is how this explanation can be fruitfully applied to America today? Help!
Regarding the tower crane analogy, I can see that it's not crystal clear, and I believe it has to do with the moral principle of law versus the political principle of force. As the first paragraph quotes, Rome "set moral sanctions above force." In this case, the extensor arm of moral sanctions did not have the time to lengthen with tensile strength. Because of that, the force of government took over, the emperor replaced the senate, and the wealth flowing back to Rome to increased. The society of contract became overwhelmed by the society of status.
Isn't this a perfect analogy for America's Federal Government? A recent news report said that the Pentagon had lost $600 billion. The war making arm of this government has always been inefficient - we ended up WWII with 78,000 aircraft. But WWII was a just war i.e. it had a valid reason for occurring.
Now that its mission is not defined and its extensor arm has weakened, trying to organize control over the undisciplined spending, the future of our military and country looks worse and worse.