Quote by C.S. Lewis

I believe in political equality. But there are two opposite reasons for being a democrat. You may think all men so good that they deserve a share in the government of the commonwealth, and so wise that the commonwealth needs their advice. That is, in my opinion, the false, romantic doctrine of democracy. On the other hand, you may believe fallen men to be so wicked that not one of them can be trusted with any irresponsible power over his fellows. That I believe to be the true ground of democracy. I do not believe that God created an egalitarian world. I believe the authority of parent over child, husband over wife, learned over simple to have been as much a part of the original plan as the authority of man over beast. I believe that if we had not fallen, patriarchal monarchy would be the sole lawful government. But since we have learned sin, we have found, as Lord Acton says, that all power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The only remedy has been to take away the powers and substitute a legal fiction of equality. The authority of father and husband has been rightly abolished on the legal plane, not because this authority is in itself bad (on the contrary, it is, I hold, divine in origin), but because fathers and husbands are bad. Theocracy has been rightly abolished not because it is bad that learned priests should govern ignorant laymen, but because priests are wicked men like the rest of us. Even the authority of man over beast has had to be interfered with because it is constantly abused.

I believe in political equality. But there are two opposite

Summary

This quote, attributed to C.S. Lewis, explores the two contrasting reasons for advocating democracy. One reason is rooted in the belief that all individuals are inherently good and wise and therefore deserve a say in governing. The other reason is based on the understanding that humans are fallen and inherently wicked, making it dangerous to grant any individual unchecked power over others. Lewis argues that although God did not create an equal society, the presence of sin necessitated the removal of certain authorities and established a legal fiction of equality. This was a necessary remedy to counteract the corruption that power tends to breed.

Topics

Religion Government Democracy Monarchy

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