So, you want to build a society, huh?
Cool.
Well, you’re going to need a population of people, obviously. And you’re going to need them all to do things for you, like work and fight. So, you’re going to have to tell them to do these things.
But why would they listen to you? You’re just some guy. When you were born, you had as much power as they did: none. You know that you don’t actually deserve to have Power over them.
Well, there’s one way around this: force. Create a police force that forces the population to obey you. If they disobey, jail or kill them.
There’s another way around this: benevolence. Be a good person. People tend to obey those they admire.
Oh, and be competent. People tend to obey those who are good at what they do.
If you rely purely on force, benevolence and competence, your society might last for a while. But eventually, people are going to figure out that you (or your successors) don’t actually deserve to have Power over them and your Power will come to an end.
So how do you make your society last even longer?
I’ve got a trick for you. It’s called, “Morality.”
If you can convince the population from an early age that they are bad people for disobeying you and good people for obeying you, they are more likely to obey. You could even convince your population that your enemies are bad, too.
You’re still going to get some skeptical people that question your society’s Morality, though. “Hang on. Why am I bad for disobeying you? You’re just some guy. And why am I good for obeying you? This seems like a trick.” These people are a problem, but what makes Morality such a good trick is that these skeptics that don’t trust you will still feel guilty every time they disobey you, since their teachers trained them to feel shame every time they disobeyed.
But I’ve got another trick for you, to deal with these skeptics. It’s called, “Rationality.”
Rationality is the makeup you can put on your society’s Power and Morality to make them look hotter and more legit. Mathematical proofs and logical arguments look beautiful and elegant, right?
“Hang on. Why am I bad for disobeying you?” “Because it’s irrational to disobey me. Here’s a cute study explaining why.”
“You’re just some guy, though.” “Yes, but I’m a Rational guy who reasons empirically. Here’s a gorgeous journal article proving it.”
“Why am I good for obeying you?” “Because it’s Rational to obey me. It’s completely logical. We had a look at the data.”
“But you don’t deserve Power over me.” “Yes, I do. My Power over you has a Rational basis. It’s based on evidence and data.”
Rationality, like Morality, is an evolutionary adaptation that Nature planted in our ancestors’ DNA. Most of us feel guilty for violating the moral code in our DNA. And when we all see, “2x = 8 implies x = 4,” all of us go, “That makes perfect sense. That’s completely rational.” We all find it hot.
Before the Enlightenment, humans (men) only used this makeup on themselves to attract members of the opposite sex and reproduce.
“Omg, Aristotle’s logic is so hot. I fucking love philosophy. I wanna fuck the shit out of that Rational stud.”
And then the Enlightenment came along and societies started using this makeup to look hotter, which makes them last longer.
So, if you want to brainwash your population into thinking Rationality is not just a cute skirt and it’s actually cool and legit, make science and mathematics compulsory subjects in your society’s school curriculum.
The final thing to do is to write your society’s rule book/constitution. Make sure to base all the laws on your society’s Morality. And make sure to give your laws the illusion of legitimacy by using the language of Rationality and Empiricism. “This law has been scientifically tested. We looked at the data. 2x = 8 implies x = 4, which implies that thou shalt not kill.”
A society built on Morality, cosmetically enhanced by Rationality and Empiricism and ruled by a competent, benevolent and forceful government stands the best chance of lasting a long time.
The White Man's Gambit 