The Senate of the World

Ordering a Comenian Democracy

By John Taylor; 2009 July 22, Kalimat 09, 166 BE

Last time we discussed a kind of elected official that Comenius called an 'optimate.' An optimate is chosen by the people not only for competence but also their virtue, their ability to grasp the spirit of the age. As long as elections select for intellectual and spiritual as well as professional qualifications, the members of each body of optimates will merit high praise, each in a slightly different sense.

"The supreme virtue of these members will be complete agreement and constant concern for the salvation of mankind, as if they were the one heart or soul of the world, representing its intellect, its will and its faculties for action. Doubts have hitherto been expressed by a number of philosophers as to the existence of a Soul of the World, but their doubting will disappear if they see these ministers of light, peace, and Christian zeal breathing as one and inspiring the world towards one life and one salvation." (Panorthosia, Ch. 15, para 21, pp. 221)

He also suggested an alternative to the monolithic state of today. Our present system has a body of permanent public servants hired to implement policy dictated by government-appointed secretaries or cabinet ministers. The government -- meaning the president or party leader -- appoints separate ministries or departments of education, defence, which answer to the nationalist state only, not directly to the people. Comenius suggested in place of this clumsy, undemocratic bureaucracy an international partnership of optimates voted in by three semi-independent, democratic selection processes.

First is a College of Light made up of elected teachers and scientists, charged with the education and enlightenment of all humankind. Second, an elected interfaith body he calls the "consistory of religion," whose optimates are also chosen by election from among religious leaders. Their constituency is based on the number and activity of declared believers in their flocks. The third kind of optimate are "universal political leaders" whose mandate is to act as guardians of order and peace.

"Only in this way will the Members of the Colleges of Light eventually become really and truly `Educators of Mankind,' to use Seneca's description of philosophers in general, and members of the Consistory of the Universal Church will really and truly be as Christ said, the light of the world and the salt of the earth, and universal political leaders will really and truly be as David said, shields or protectors of the earth belonging unto God, (Psalm XLVII, 9)." (Panorthosia, Ch. 15, para 20, pp. 221)

In place of a body of public service employees, these optimates would each head up and be chosen from among a set of professions that teaches, enlightens and serves not government but the public directly. As we have seen in earlier essays, Comenius envisioned everybody in a position of authority, from the humblest parent or housekeeper to the highest official, in every decision being able to call upon a coterie of at least four professional advisors whose expertise covers every major area of knowledge. There would be at hand a spiritual counsellor, a lawyer, a philosopher and a doctor.

"Therefore every king, prince, consul, and even the individual citizen should have (1) his own preacher, as a guardian of his conscience, and a counsellor in the things which concern God, (2) his own lawyer as a supervisor in the things which concern man, (3) his own philosopher or sage to guide him in the business of life, and (4) his own doctor as guardian and director of his physical health." (Panorthosia, Ch. 24, para 1, pp. 110-111)

Especially now that technology has advanced so much, it is possible to imagine these advisory functions being automated to some extent. For example, Comenius's escutcheons could be made available to the individual decision maker through standard "dashboard" computer data displays, while group decisions are informed by what I have been calling "war rooms," large rooms full of interactive models like those Churchill used to plan the entire theatre of operations in World War Two. However, nothing can replace another human trained to act as a Socratic gadfly, goading the individual to exploiting their talents to the fullest extent.

This is the most revolutionary rethinking of the role of government that I have ever come across. Comenius imagines "power to the people" not as an empty slogan or pie-in-the-sky ideal but as a pervasive burden carried on the shoulders of every one of us. Instead of government holding an exclusive monopoly on information and decision-making, everybody is charged with carrying this heavy burden, leaving high elected officials free to concentrate on what Socrates called dialectics, wisdom applied through skilled consultation.

As mentioned at the start, an optimate is a guardian elected from among the best advisors and dialecticians. He or she is given by this sacred vote a universal mandate, to reflect the spirit of all humanity. In the following passage, Comenius details how he imagines the selection process of what he calls a "senate for the world" might take place.

"Turning to the question of the size of these committees for universal happiness, I think that the best plan is for every Kingdom or State to have two, three, four or more Guardians of Light, and the same number of Guardians of Peace, and at least as many Guardians of Religion. Every College so established should have a president appointed within its own ranks, and the presidents in turn should all elect one to serve in Europe, one in Asia, and one in Africa, etc. These will all together constitute the Senate of the World, consisting of educators of mankind, the light of the world, and the shields of the Earth, responsible for ensuring that philosophy, religion, and politics are the homes and bulwarks of truth, piety, peace, and security everywhere in the world." (Comenius, Panorthosia, Ch. 15, para 23, pp. 222)

John Taylor

email: badijet@gmail.com
blog: http://badiblog.blogspot.com/

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