Stratigicon

In ancient Chinese philosophy it is said 本立而道生 běn lì ér dào shēng, “Establish the foundation and the Way will be produced.”

To me, the idea of the “social contract” was first conceived by 荀子 xún zǐ. Master Xun. The basic insight people had, probably over and over again from family to family or from community to community, was that if we freely used force to get our way, then people would always be getting injured or killed. I might win today, but when the same kind of conflict comes up tomorrow I might be injured and killed. So they decided to depend on enlightened self-interest, They had a group understanding: In our community, the contract is, “If you will refrain from hurting me, I will refrain from hurting you.”

The practical problem comes when somebody figures out that all the other community members are docile, but s/he can behave as the predator invisible in the midst of the flock. Most societies nurture and indoctrinate youngsters so that they know what is expected of them. When they break the contract in little ways, they may be nurtured and taught to make up for cases when they have not foreseen the natural consequences of their predatory or parasitic behavior. If they produce severe consequences, then they may be disciplined. In extreme cases they can be ostracized.

I think that we need to understand how bonds of trust and responsibility can develop in a society that is run in this way, and that they make it possible for individuals to give allegiance to a society and to its government.

If this basic idea is right, then the US attempts in Afghanistan were highly probable to fail. With predatory behavior being perpetrated by figures put into government by the USA, and with a low probability of a natural hierarchy of leaders and helpers forming parallel to the legal government, when the imposed structure fell under the weight of its own misdeeds there was no alternative organization prepared to resist the Taliban.

start