Quote: Thomas Jefferson
November 19, 2009
“That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves,” Thomas Jefferson
Is this still true? Aren’t we in the habit of running to our government everytime something happens nowadays? As if we’re addicted to government solutions for all our problems.
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Whether or not I agree with him kinda depends on what the context of this statement was.
People have a really over-reverential attitude to the founding fathers. They disagreed with each other plenty and said and did things we would now think dumb. Unfortunately they were quite adept at coming up with quotable quotes.
They also lived in a different time. We are in a consumer society, with much of our lives determined by numerous corporations which are richer and more powerful than many countries. A key part of any fair society is ensuring that there are checks and balances in place to limit the ability of the powerful to dominate the weak. That was one of the reasons for declaring independence in the first place.
The extreme interpretation of this statement is that no government at all would be ideal, which is clearly crazy (see Somalia for example).
And frankly, I have no idea what “people discipline themselves” means. If it means that individuals naturally discipline themselves, that is clearly wrong. Loads of people will do whatever excesses they can get away with.
If it means that people collectively “discipline each other”, I am not sure of the implication. Is this suggesting that we should all live in an egalitarian commune? Or that non-regulated mob implementation of justice monitoring of acceptable behaviour is what we want? Or that by hook or by crook, leaders emerge organically to guide communities from a local level.
It sounds a bit utopian that people would naturally settle into harmonious, self-regulating communities.
If your real question is “what should be the role of government in modern America”, then that should be your question, and leave Mr Jefferson in peace…
He’s not around to give us his take on the current situation.