Sober Philosophy: A Farewell to Kings (Bradley presents)

Living as we do in the United States, the dominant political view in our society is that monarchy is an outmoded form of government. However, in the United Kingdom, for example, the monarchy continues to enjoy overwhelming public support. Here is an interview with a royal reporter with his thoughts on the subject.

https://youtu.be/geRkugo8Yn8

He points out that half of the countries with the twenty highest scores on the Human Development Index are constitutional monarchies, which is remarkable since there are only 33 constitutional monarchies.

A farewell to kings is the abandonment of the idea that hereditary monarchy is a legitimate form of government. Without this legitimizing factor political positions are typically filled by elected officials or by dictators who hold power by force. Seen this way a farewell to kings could lead to either good or bad results.

It is currently fashionable to describe monarchies as being absolute or constitutional with semi-constitutional monarchies occupying a space in between the two. However, it is possible for a king or emperor to have limited power while real power is held by a dictatorship as was the case in Japan under the Shoguns.

The doctrine of the divine right of kings originated in the early modern era, although it had ancient and medieval precedents. Both Constantine and Dante held that the office of emperor was instituted by God, but this was to be one emperor for the entire civilized world as opposed to separate monarchs for each nation. However, support for constitutionalism dates back at least as far at Thomas Aquinas in the middle ages, and this was probably due in part to the influence of Aristotle. Absolutism was often supported by the middle class as a way of eliminating the power of the nobles.

In the seventeenth century Britain went in the direction of constitutionalism while France moved toward absolutism. Both had notable regicides followed by dictatorship and restoration of the monarchy. However, this was followed by a transition to constitutionalism in Britain and further alternation between republicanism and dictatorship in France with republicanism surviving to this day.

What are some factors that make a monarchy or republic more or less successful? What contributes to a better transition from one system to another?

Symptom-free (of potentially contagious disease) people with the capacity to listen considerately to diverse viewpoints are invited to attend after successfully RSVPing.

We begin the meeting at 1:00 pm sharp at the mezzanine above the lobby of the Graduate Hotel in the University District: 4507 Brooklyn Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105.

Directions for first-timers at the Graduate Hotel:
From the front hotel entrance go to the right. Turn left around the corner to enter through the north valet entrance. If the valet questions you just say you're here for the philosophy group. Go straight to the main lobby and turn right behind the large bookshelves before the elevators. Enter the stairway on your left, go up one flight, and go through the first door you encounter to enter our meeting area.

2-MINUTE OPENING ROUNDTABLE FORMAT (2ORF):

1. The topic presenter begins the discussion by taking up to two minutes explaining why they are interested in the topic and some introductory thoughts on it.
2. Each participant in turn going clockwise from the presenter has up to two minutes to describe their general thoughts on the topic.
3. If one is not ready to speak they can just say “pass” and the next person speaks.
4. After we've gone around once anyone who passed will get a second chance to comment.
5. Once everyone has given opening remarks or passed twice, Opening Roundtable is completed and the meeting shifts into TDRF>4 below.

TIMED DIRECTION FORMAT (TDRF>4):
If there are 4 or less people present we will have unstructured discussion, otherwise we will use the format below.

1. We will divide up the timed direction discussion time by the number of participants plus one (for a buffer). A timer will be set for this amount of time.
2. Each participant in turn will become a Discussion Director and lead the group discussion.
3. If one is not ready to direct they dimply say “pass” and the next person becomes the Discussion Director.
4. Anyone who arrives after step 1 (above), may participate but will not get a turn as Discussion Director.
5. The Discussion Director can make statements or ask questions, or interrupt or redirect the discussion at their discretion.
6. The discussion participants can state their own opinions only when asked by the Discussion Director, not Interrupt others and accede to the Discussion Director’s interruptions or redirections.
7. When the timer goes off the person speaking finishes their thought and then the next participant clockwise becomes the next Discussion Director.
8. After we've gone around once anyone who passed will get a second chance to direct.

At the end of the meeting, participants will have an opportunity to vote on the topic and format for the following meeting.