Aristocrat, and the Community

Taking a quizzical, philosophical look at the conundrums life places before us, the author explores paradoxical situations in philosophical dialogues geared to stimulate thought and resonate with the reader's own experiences. Implications regarding politics and politicians, leadership and democracy are investigated along the way. This book consists of two dialogues, 'Aristocrat' and 'The Community.' Both take place among friends through the course of a night. 'Aristocrat' is concerned with what it means to want to rule, with the comparison of aristocracy to democracy, and with duty. The friends begin by touching upon excellence, aristocracy's traditional claim to rule. They soon come to question whether there are in fact but two true claims to rule - force, or a system of belief. In addition they ponder their commitment to 'the cause,' a potentially transpolitical cause. 'Aristocrat' attempts to answer several 'whats' - what is 'the cause,' what does the cause involve, and what does it mean to serve. 'The Community' attempts to demonstrate a 'how' - how to create the new city, a new city determined to set itself apart from the outside world. Discussions of the degree to which quality can be controlled from above, and debates over the degree of control versus freedom that would make the city an ideal place to live, are interwoven with a concern for viability - represented by the Bank, whose interests it seems must always be taken into account. Is the creation of an ideal community an effort that is doomed to be utopian? Here, Nick Pappas combines the strengths of the classical dialogue combined with a friendly, colloquial treatment of contemporary issues. Taking a quizzical, philosophical look at the conundrums life places before us, the author explores paradoxical situations in philosophical dialogues geared to stimulate thought and resonate with the reader's own experiences. Implications regarding politics and politicians, leadership and democracy are investigated along the way. This book consists of two dialogues, 'Aristocrat' and 'The Community.' Both take place among friends through the course of a night. 'Aristocrat' is concerned with what it means to want to rule, with the comparison of aristocracy to democracy, and with duty. The friends begin by touching upon excellence, aristocracy's traditional claim to rule. They soon come to question whether there are in fact but two true claims to rule - force, or a system of belief. In addition they ponder their commitment to 'the cause,' a potentially transpolitical cause. 'Aristocrat' attempts to answer several 'whats' - what is 'the cause,' what does the cause involve, and what does it mean to serve. 'The Community' attempts to demonstrate a 'how' - how to create the new city, a new city determined to set itself apart from the outside world. Discussions of the degree to which quality can be controlled from above, and debates over the degree of control versus freedom that would make the city an ideal place to live, are interwoven with a concern for viability - represented by the Bank, whose interests it seems must always be taken into account. Is the creation of an ideal community an effort that is doomed to be utopian? Here, Nick Pappas combines the strengths of the classical dialogue combined with a friendly, colloquial treatment of contemporary issues.