There are two critical warnings about dangers to society from philosophers of the past - Thorstein Veblen and Joseph Schumpeter.
A passage from Veblen’s book ‘The Theory of the Leisure Class’
Veblen said that the reversion of society towards predatory phase of life is a lot easier than towards a healthy progression forward. In simple words, society readily tends to slide back to barbarism when conducive circumstances emerge. Moving forward and maintaining a positive trend for a peaceable progressive society is difficult, we need constant effort and energy to keep society on proper path. Donald Trump, a grossly incompetent and pathologically dangerous man, is enough to destroy decades of social, political, institutional and economic progress of America and sliding the nation back into barbarism and chaos.
Jan 6 riots - A day of barbarism. A dark day in history of modern nation which descended into political violence and militancy.
We can clearly see the reactionary and fascistic tendencies unleashed by Trump. His gaslighting, incitement of violence and polarization of America is unlocking the primitive tendencies of society. A large section of American society has now lost objective thinking and rationality. The great revival of (white) nationalism, political militancy, racism, Xenophobia and ‘war on women’ is reversion from civilized norms of society which were acquired through decades of sociopolitical and cultural progress. Trump rolled back a lot of it pretty easily. General attitude of Trump regime towards society is reflective of Barbarism. The reversion of society is not just in social and political decorum, conscience and morality but on a far wider scale. For example, the denial of modern medicine and science itself up to the point of our own destruction. We are now in the twilight of age of enlightenment.
Schumpeter’s thesis on society also offers important lessons on current times. Most important is Schumpeter’s heterodox theory of Democracy which debunked classical doctrine of Democracy. While many intellectuals of today strongly criticize madness of Trumpian age (Timothy Snyder, Ruth Ben Ghiat, Laurence Tribe etc), these intellectuals are however mechanistic thinkers and peddlers of classical doctrine of democracy. The classical doctrine of Democracy can only function in specific environment and under certain requisites (Schumpeter elaborates on them in depth). And those requisites have long vanished from America even before Trump arrived in politics.
Passage from Schumpeter’s book on requisites for a healthy & functional Democracy
So Trump is not an exogenous problem that invaded American politics but an endogenous variable of a failed Democratic political system. Schumpeter also explained how Democracy is a not a self correcting system when it falls into a major crisis or an emergency. America is going through an unprecedented constitutional crisis and there’s no corrective mechanism for Democratic process to fix itself. The failure to uphold 14th amendment and allowing an insurrectionist to participate in political system was the pinnacle of constitutional failure. Now Trump has won power legitimately through democratic elections and he intends to dismantle democracy itself. This is similar to paradox of democracy as happened in Germany. The people who intended to destroy democracy, first entered democratic system through its very political process.
Musk became a face of Trump regime
Another critical warning of Schumpeter was to Capitalist class to not to enter politics directly. The kind of what Elon Musk is doing today. Capitalist class influences politics discreetly while staying behind the curtain and manipulating things. But Elon Musk and tech billionaires took the front seat in political activism and operations. Schumpeter also elaborates how politics cannot be reduced to economic motive and economic rationality of profit & loss equation; in simple words government can’t be run like a private business. Politics is complex system which involves extra-economic dimensions which are completely different from a simple profit-based private enterprise.
Elon Musk and his agency DOGE is restructuring government from perspective of attaining efficiency as in a private enterprise. That’s thoroughly unscientific and foolish view of the government. The mindless budget cuts, austerity, mass layoffs and dismantling the government bureaucracy, institutions & civil service is a downright foolish attitude about running of government in a modern state. Tech billionaire are applying their venture capitalist view of things in reshaping government and this is destroying the state.
Apart from destruction of state under the policies of Tech billionaires, there are other unintended consequences which people like Elon Musk didn’t anticipate. The entry of plutocrats like Musk into politics have brought them to the scrutiny of common people. The anger of people against unpopular government policies is translating into anger against plutocrats more directly. A plutocrat was safe from public scrutiny of his activities when they operated in the shadows. Now when they have become the face of government, they are inviting the wrath of people.
Tesla Poster at a UK Street
Take example of sinking of Tesla corporation whose image is now greatly tarnished among consumers. The sale of Tesla Electric vehicles has plummeted due to negative publicity and people’s resentment against Musk. Tesla Brand is getting hammered across the markets in Atlantic. Other businesses of Musk like Starlink is also facing pressure for boycott in other nations. The image of Tesla brand is in such a serious crisis that Trump & Musk organized event for promotion of Tesla in front of White House. Little do they know that this may have a reverse effect on consumers and may further deteriorate the brand.
The breakdown of Democracy, the return to barbarism and people’s resentment against plutocrats when they become face of politics was all warned about in the past. All that is materializing today. Will the plutocrats realize their blunder of openly invading democracy? Will they step back and return to their business world, a realm where they belong and thus maintaining a healthy distance from state politics?
Musical coda
Gustavo Santaolalla - Restless Spirits (from The Last of Us Part II)
Suggested reading
The Theory of the Leisure Class by Veblen
Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy by Schumpeter
Psychology of Trump contagion by Bandy X Lee