The Social Contract - 16zy
There is an essential distinction between these
bodies: the state exists of itself, while the government
exists only through the sovereign.
Thus the dominant will of the ruling body is only,
or should only be, the general★普遍的 will or the
law, its power is only the public power concentrated
in it, and as soon as it has the desire to do some
absolute and independent act of its own, the cohesiveness凝聚力
of the whole begins to be weakened.
---Chapter ii :The Constituent构成 Principle of the Various Forms of Government---
The total strength of the government, always being
the same as the state's, does not vary改变. From this it
follows that the more strength it expends★花费 on its own
members, the less remains to act on the people as a whole.
-★★★
Consequently, the larger the number of officers of
government, the weaker the government is.
That business is dealt with less
expeditiously as the number of people responsible for it
increases: that relying too much on prudence means relying too
little on chance, that opportunities are not taken, and that the
fruits of decision are often lost in the process of deciding.
随着负责处理某项事务的人数增加，该业务的处理效率就会降低；太过
依赖谨慎等于太少依赖机遇，机会被错失，而决策的果实常常在决策过程中丧失。
---Chapter iii:The Classification分类 of Governments---
---Chapter iv : Democracy---
Nothing is more dangerous than the influence of private interests in
public affairs, and the abuse of law by the government is a
lesser evil than the corruption of the legislative body立法机构,
to which particular considerations inevitably lead.
If a people were never to misuse government it would
never misuse independence; a people that always governed
well would not need to be governed.
If the term is taken in its strict sense, true democracy has
never existed and never will.
-
It is against the natural order that
the majority should govern and the minority be governed.
A very small state, such that the people can be assembled
without difficulty, and it is easy for every citizen to
know all the others;
-
secondly,great simplicity of manners, in order to avoid
a great quantity of business and tiresome★烦人的 discussions;
-
further, a considerable degree of equality in rank and
fortune, without which equality in rights and power
cannot last long;
-
and finally, little or no luxury,it corrupts both rich and
poor at once, one through possession, the other through
covetousness贪婪/妄羡; ★it puts the country on sale to vanity浮华/虚荣
and soft living; it deprives the state of all its citizens, making
each of them subject to the other, and all of them to
public opinion.
-★★★
This is why a famous author made virtue the principle of
republics,for these circumstances cannot all be present
without virtue;
★★★:
It should be added that no government is so ★liable to易受...之害
civil war and internal disturbance骚乱 than the democratic or popular
type, for none has so strong and continual不间断的 a tendency for its
form to change, and none calls for so much vigilance警惕 and
courage if its form is to be maintained.
-★★★
Under this constitution,
more than any other, the citizen must arm himself with
strength and constancy, and repeat every day in the depths of
his heart the observation made by a virtuous lord palatine in
the Polish Diet: 'I 【prefer】 freedom with all its
dangers 【to】tranquillity安宁 with servitude奴役'.
-
If there were a nation of gods it would be governed democratically.
So perfect a government is not suitable for men.
如此完美的zf并不适合于人类。
