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Docta Ignorantia LXVIX Sappers And Miners The Flatland social taxonomy is significantly different from the Vedic, which claims to be universal and perpetual and is commended by common sense. Vedic taxonomy is:
Sages All are equally important -- society cannot function without all present and fulfilling their duties -- but the taxonomy distinguishes degrees of causitive capacity and so orders the statement in terms of who can have the widest affect. This taxonomy implies something dear to my heart, which is that when things are in a general screw up, the blame is not with the "kings" but with the "king"-makers, the teachers/clergy. One might suspect it is with the Sages, but this isn't the case. The Sages accept general screw ups as Providential just as much as they accept general felecitations as the same. This is not to say that Sages do not periodically decide up or down on things, effectively writing or even rewriting Providence. They can do that and do. But the primary duty of keeping things on the up and up rests on the teachers/clergy, those who teach the rulers. The principle duty of rulers is to make sure Sages are happy. Alexander exhibited this trait, as did Charlemagne. Just as the welfare of the society is measured by the happiness of women, the welfare of the world is measured by the happiness of Sages. Business people who portray themselves as the ideal (Flatland does this, holding the bourgeois [middle class] as most emulation-worthy) or who try to control society (from below) are dangerous because they are stepping out of duty, trying to arrogate to themselves responsibility that does not belong to them. And the worst scenario in Vedic taxonomy is when teachers/clergy, whose personalities are fundamentally causative, try to use that capacity to control society (from above). For example, the Harvard crowd from FDR through LBJ trying to control from the role of politicians/government officers, and Bill Gates/Steve Ballmer trying to control from the role of producer. When these teacher/clergy types go out of role to exercise control (executive authority and responsibility), they really cause havoc (Vietnam [Harvard], attempted replacement of all governments through electronic monopoly [Gates/Ballmer]) because they have causative ability exceeding that of all others excepting Sages. Teachers/clergy should exercise their causative ability in teaching, bringing up the leaders and followers, both, to their capacity, and not try to use it to control those leaders and followers when they are executing their duties. Teachers/clergy should advise but never hold governmental or business authority. That authority belongs to those called to exercise it: soldiers, judges, politicians, etc., in the first place and CEO's, etc., in the second. This is why Benedict specified that monastics (prototypical teachers) should earn their living as laborers, so as not to be in a position to act in realms where their activity would actually cause harm. Society has to be both benefitted and protected from the causative capacity of teachers/clergy. It's an interesting phenomenon and not widely perceived, much less understood. It is Sages, incidentally, and one in particular, who have determined against the old Harvard crowd (which was/is Fabian, as you probably know) and Messrs. Gates and Ballmer and whose will in this regard is undergoing execution by competent authorities in the academic, governmental and business (producer) realms. Anyhow, Flatland's elevation of the middle class to its Parlimentarian pedestal is at variance with the Vedic social taxonomy, which is more in tune with experience. Still reading. This is just a first comment. Many thanks for referring me to this superb book and saving me thereby not a little embarassment when others should ask me what I think of it.
Adwaitha Hermitage
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