Lords and Commons
with the setup of parliament in Britain centuries ago
it seemed logical or right to have two houses of parliament: Lords and Commons
because there have been two human lifeways
the “Old Ways” (aboriginal) were localist, communitarian, egalitarian, stable
with the New Ways there comes to be a “higher realm” … an uber sphere
for a long time most people remain living in the common, natural, vernacular, local, simple sphere
“above” is the lordly, parental, divine sphere
two ways of being (after all, there are parents and children)
the uber sphere
a milieu of history, development, production, construction, literacy, statecraft, administration, institutions
it’s a special realm … it’s complex, awesome
rulers, nobles, lords, parental figures are felt to be special
special types of people (perhaps in touch with the divine) who are able to have agency within the uber
to deal with that level of complexity; to think in terms of, cope with, deal with those scales and values and ways
idiosyncratic, unnatural, elevated, awesome
this sensibility carries all the way through to the modern period
with the Enlightenment and modernity it breaks down
that’s what was such a big deal about the French Revolution
it augured the rejection of, revolt against, breakdown of the “ancien regime”
that “ancien regime” was the longstanding world of division into Lords and Commoners
it’s right to have critiqued, jettisoned, overthrown it
right to have the idea of all having agency … all literate … power and vocalization for all
that seemed to be the leftist ideal
and it was a good ideal
at first: republicanism (anti-aristocracy)
then: a realization that class division means plutocrats will dominate the political sphere of republics
so: socialism (extension of political democracy into the economic sphere)
the failure of socialism is a very big deal
it leaves the left perplexed and bereft in our time
needing to recognize and come to terms with the fact that there was something chimerical about socialism
namely: the idea of universal voice, power, rights, agency is vitiated within a Leviathan reality
the latter magnifies voice, power, agency for a 1%
but overwhelms voice, power, agency for the vast majority
… no matter what kinds of ideals leftists strive for
… no matter if we establish a unicameral legislature
… no matter if the means of production are owned socially
