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Notes -
Living a good life, surely.
This is sort of the weird critical theory obsession that truth is only useful insofar as it brings power, borne to be sure out of the betrayed promise of the enlightenment that the two are married.
But they're not. Power is really not about truth at all except through the connection of practical means. A good sovereign listens to the scientists, but his power isn't derived from them, otherwise both science and good rule are impossible.
And note that this is as true in a democracy as it is in a monarchy.
Rather he accepts that human nature will do what human nature does and that we should take what we can get. From his point of view democracy guarantees brainwashing, whereas monarchy at least gives you the possibility of doing things so long as you're not meddling in politics yourself.
Frankly the whole point of society is just to have some order so people can live nice little lives unbothered by turmoil and maybe some philosophers can work on improving our lot.
Putting the philosophers on the throne is, whilst deviously tempting, the path of destruction.
Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the idea that the truth is only useful/true insofar as it leads to political power kind of a core axiom of the whole critical theory/post-modernist edifice? That is the natural conclusion/logical end-point/reductio-ad-absurdam of the personal being political is it not?
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