Psychopaths and the Rule of Law

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Ian | disorderedworld

Wherever law ends, tyranny begins.

John Locke

The spread of democracy has been one of the most profound political changes in human history, and provides an indispensable defence against those who abuse power by oppressing others. But as many pseudo-democracies attest, elections on their own provide only a weak and often impotent defence. In many countries today that are deemed to be democratic, elections are simply a sham used by leaders to legitimise autocratic rule. The fundamental pillar upon which democracy must rest, and without which it becomes a mockery of itself, is the rule of law. Continue reading →

Psychopaths as Predators of the Poor

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Ian | disorderedworld

This blog first appeared on Facts and Arts and is based on the important book The Locust Effect.

History is the story of the struggle of the psychologically normal majority of humanity to free ourselves from the tyranny of a psychologically disordered minority who are marked by their innate propensity for violence and greed. This minority is comprised of psychopaths whose psychology excludes the possibility of empathy, and narcissists and paranoids, whose minds are frozen into states of perpetual superiority and fear.

In this long historical struggle, previous generations have crafted a number of essential safeguards to protect us against this tyrannical minority. The most fundamental of these is the rule of law. In the absence of effective law enforcement, citizens are left at the mercy of those of a psychopathic disposition. Today, those who suffer most are the world’s poor. Continue reading →

Seven Pillars of Freedom

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Ian | disorderedworld

History is the story of the struggle of the psychologically normal majority of humanity to free ourselves from the tyranny of a psychologically disordered minority who are marked by their innate propensity for violence and greed. In this long struggle, previous generations have crafted seven essential safeguards to protect us against rule by tyranny – the following seven pillars of freedom.

1. The Rule of Law

The very concept of civilisation is almost synonymous with the rule of law. Continue reading →