Prisoners of the New Order

Taki's Magazine ^ | January 10, 2.022 | The Z Man

[arthurus]

In the old liberal order, a citizen was someone who could participate in the running of his government, either through voting or holding office. Initially, there were active and passive citizens, but both enjoyed the same rights and protections. The difference was the active citizen could vote and hold office, while the passive citizen was prohibited from those activities, until he met certain criteria, like owning property.

The foundation of the liberal order was the individual. It was assumed that it was impossible to have a civil society without respecting the individual, as it was individual labor that made society possible. Consensual government is rooted in the belief that collectively, individuals will rule themselves in such a way that the largest number of citizens will enjoy the maximum benefit of society.