Scott Alexander's Toddlers
Bedtime democracy
The X rabble is discussing Scott Alexander’s recent toddler article. Apparently he doesn’t “discipline” his twins enough. They argue with him over bedtime. The horror!
But Scott Alexander is philosophically consistent with how he is raising his kids. People who believe in democracy have no right to discipline their children. Otherwise, people who are less neotenous than they are can discipline them. That means people who are stronger, more stoic, and smarter. There are many people who could ethically give any rationalist a bedtime, by any consistent and logical standard under which a rationalist can give their own children a bedtime.
Some are even saying he should hit his toddlers. I bet most of those people believe both in democracy and that it would be wrong for a superior person to hit them. But those saying that have many superiors; the average intelligence of such people seems to be median or below-median. I believe if they hit their children, then superior people should hit them and tell them what they can and cannot do.
Since they do hit their children, and pragmatists are quick to point out there is little chance of stopping this, I find it quite reasonable to be against democracy. In fact, I am an aristocratist. I believe the best should rule, and should have more political rights than those who they rule over. This is the most just, and the best for the human species.
It also gives me the right, in abstract, to discipline my toddlers. I can assign them a bedtime. When they argue with me, I will tell them that the strong and intelligent and wise should rule magnanimously over the weak, dumb, and silly, and this is for the good of everyone involved. When they learn of democracy, I will tell them it is a stupid idea and only bad people and hypocrites profess it. I assume my children will grow up finding me wise and consistent in my ideas.
And I hope any children who have democratists as parents are never treated as unequals. Doing so would disprove democracy!
As someone with a toddler, and more on the way, *this* is the way. The role of the father is benevolent ruler, and anything less is a disservice to your kids and wife.
Go watch a family where the father takes no assertive, dominant role and you will see a family run by the mother, resentful and overworked, with the father and child equally miserable and resentful.