The First Sketch of a Democratic World Government
By John Taylor; 2009 April 12, Jalal 04, 166 BE
We have been examining Chapter 25 of Panorthosia, history's first plan for a democratic world government. Comenius's approach is distinct from later peace plans in that it starts first with faith, science and education, and hold politics only as a final stage. In a saying that should be famous, Comenius held that "the way to agreement ... will never be discovered through partial studies." (Panorthosia, Ch. 23, para 21, p. 75). Before all else, then, our task is to understand the universal grounds upon which all things, human, divine and natural, stand. When these are grasped, we can apply principle.
One principle that Comenius observed in nature, for example, was that big changes tend to come from within (this was later dubbed evolution). In the same way, we can make peace by beginning deep within our mind and spirit, by changing our deepest presuppositions about who we are before we turn outwards. Another principle, both natural and divine, is that of equality. Compared with God we are all equal and so our first obligation must be to see to it that each human, without exception, has an equal opportunity to enter into perfection.
"Such a universal council is an urgent necessity as a universal remedy for universal misunderstanding, since God does not wish some to be made perfect without others. `God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.' (Hebrews 11:40)" (Panorthosia, Ch. 25, para 3, pp. 129-130)
Awareness of equality would raise common consciousness to an animating principle. Consciousness is an outcome of detached, non-partisan, disinterested meditation. The most important preparation for world order, then, is to abolish parties and the entire partisan mind-set which destroys consciousness and drags us ever back into warlike ways.
"All the nations of the world will be its assessors, through their three-fold representatives, for instead of rules and laws they have all God's creatures, and all the senses and consciences of all who are assembled, and all God's revelations to them; and in this way God alone will preside, and we shall all be His assessors on equal terms." (Idem.)
Witness what is happening without our leaders being expert in being God's "assessors." Politics today is dominated by expediency rather than principle. Even the most peaceful and democratic governments remain fields of squabbling and struggle for gain. As a result, overall development is unequal and spotty. A tiny minority prospers and accumulates the lion's share of knowledge, wealth and resources, while the vast majority languishes in penury.
In contrast with the later secular ways of governing by checks and balances and separation of powers, Comenius saw world government as an expression of divine virtue, of the three Christian virtues of faith, hope and charity. Rather than offsetting one another, his three world institutions would "use its own characteristic weapons to wipe out its own brand of plague." (Panorthosia, Ch. 25, para 10, p. 142)
The first, the "College of Light," would be a world department of science and education. It "will use the power of light to banish the darkness of error..." As a liberal educator, Comenius believed that universal literacy allows universal educability. This learned institution would lay the groundwork for this by taking on the task of agreeing upon a universal language and assuring that the next generation is fully literate in that language.
The parliament of religions, which he called the Consistory, presents the model of God's service and bountiful giving in order to purify our inner motives. It "will preserve charity as the bond of perfection by using charity, or the love of heaven, and the fear of hell (for this is the sole purpose of the full power of the keys)..." When such internal controls and sanctions fail, the "dicastery of the world," or political wing of the world government,
"will use external force to curb any disturbers of the peace (whenever there is any outbreak of violence which would not be kept in order either by the light of reason or the love or fear of God, the dicastery will use its supreme authority to crush it effectively)." (142)
The next question that Comenius deals with in this chapter is how to choose the members of these three institutions of world government. Because it is so important, I will include it here in its entirety, without further comment.
==========
The World's First Proposal for a Democratic World Government
from: Panorthosia, Ch. 25, para 10, p. 142-144
But how should we appoint these delegates who are to preside over the reform of human affairs?
My answer is:
I. There should be one such college in every region.
II. There should be one each for Europe, Asia, Africa and America.
III. There should be one to serve the entire world.
IV. In every dicastery, consistory, and college there should be one delegate, assisted by a senate of definite size which should either be in constant session with the delegate or meet once a year at an appointed place.
V. The delegate should always have three deputies beside him, or at least two, in addition to clerks and secretaries.
VI. The delegate should reside in Europe in a centre which is easily accessible from every country. London is recommended in my `Way of Light" (i.e. Comenius's 'Via Lucis' xviii, written in 1641-2 when he visited England, dedicated to the founders of the Royal Society, 1660, and published in Amsterdam in 1668) for this and other reasons, especially that provision exists there for politicians, churchmen, and philosophers visiting it from abroad to obtain the necessities of life, and I also recommend it as the site for the Academy of light, peace, love, etc.
VII. Every nation should have one assessor (or two in the case of the larger nations) attached to the delegate and one or two clerks. Then if a delegate dies in office or returns to his country, there will be another to take his place, so that this light cannot ever be extinguished even in the smallest corner of the world.
VIII. Moreover, assessors of this kind will be sent to the president from the college of light, the dicastery of peace, and the holy consistory of every nation. The representatives of Christian nations will be chosen by vote as men whose virtues and gifts are already renowned, and this should ensure the election of the best scholars, the most pious churchmen, and the most responsible politicians, while leaving any unsuccessful candidate to praise God that his country has plenty of men who are worthy of His gift.
Alternatively, one delegate should be elected by his fellow- countrymen in each nation, and each continent should choose one delegate from their number, and these should hold office in turn.
Votes should first be collected from everyone for counting, and voting should be free. Then they should be well-considered. But no conclusion should be reached unless it seems acceptable to all, so that the common good, as it were, is firmly determined by common approval.
IX. The world council should meet at ten-yearly intervals, first, somewhere in Europe, then in Asia, Africa, and America in turn, and every nation should send one or two members from each of its colleges, that is to say, philosophers, churchmen, and politicians accompanied by clerks.
Without this representation of the three colleges (a kind of common factory functioning like the stomach, the liver, and the brain in relation to bile, blood, and the air we breathe) it is impossible to reform the world, since (1) the vile mixture of doubtful books will throw everything into confusion again, like torrential rain destroying the fields. But the college will supply the dew and the rain of gentle wisdom to the advantage of us all; (2) religions which are deprived of their freedom will continue to begat sects and heresies; (3) if nations do the same as the Israelites did at the time when they were without a king, everything will become confused again and history will repeat itself."
--
John Taylor
email: badijet@gmail.com
blog: http://badiblog.blogspot.com/
::
No comments:
Post a Comment