[Puffer Fish]

The Economic Case for Aristocracy

"...Interestingly, the notion of economic efficiency can be traced back to the Italian economist and sociologist Vilfredo Pareto. Initially Pareto seemed to fall into the classical liberal tradition of thinking that simply liberating market forces would result in optimal outcomes. But as time went on Pareto grew disillusioned with this view and started to focus on the importance of elite structures in society, which eventually led to his flirtation with the then-ascendent Italian fascist movement. This flirtation can in large part be explained by Pareto’s intransigent modernism and his unwillingness to take more classical political traditions seriously, but the very fact that the key theorist of efficiency ended up realizing the need for nonmarket-based political hierarchies is revealing...."

read more: https://www.postliberalorder.com/p/the- ... ristocracy

Philip Pilkington, Postliberal Order, Aug 7, 2023

[Puffer Fish]

Does having a Nobility lead to higher political stability?

Does having a nobility, or at least an upper middle class, in a society lead to a higher degree of political stability, and ultimately help ensure more freedom for everyone?

The less centralized power is in a government, the more enduring and stable it is.

When there is a large group of people of a surplus of time and financial resources at their disposal, many of these individuals will take an interest in politics, and even attempt to have some influence on government. One could say that it really takes the existence of a nobility for a country to be democratic. Yes, it's also important to have an informed citizenry, but there also needs to be a few people with the means to play a stronger role.

Look at the history in the U.S. Many office holders came from what could be described as the upper middle class, or families with a lot of money.

Obviously there are some downsides to having a society that is so much run by nobility, such as the people making the decisions being out of touch with the needs of the poor, but there are some values common to all, such as civil liberties.

Then there are values of the nobility that get imprinted on the rest of society.


The more centralized financial resources are, the easier it will be for political movements to be organized.

Obviously creating a nobility may not be the most efficient way to do this, since the majority of the wealth is going to be superfluous and not directed towards political ends, but the existence does serve a function. From the standpoint of a political structure, it's very important in whose hands the resources and power is in.

If you look throughout the history of Europe, the first council of voting bodies (progenitor democracies you could call it) were composed of the nobility, and exercised a check against the power of the king.

A middle class, in general, is too busy to get too involved in politics. Very few individuals in the middle class have both the time and money to do so. (Until they reach their retirement years, but by then they're often too old to do many things) It's true that retired middle class people exert a huge political influence with their votes, but there is less tendency for them to organize themselves into a powerful political body. That might requiring hiring some full-time employees, frequent travel across different parts of the country, compilation of lots of information, it's just not so likely to happen. Middle class people make donations to political parties, but most of the donations come from the more wealthy.