Aristotle was wrong.From ancient Greek times through the middle ages and into the Renaissance, Aristotle was the ultimate authority on almost everything. He said that you didn't need to test logical theories, so nobody did. He said that heavier objects fall faster than light ones, so of course it was so. He said that the Earth was at the center of the universe, so of course it was so. In fact, anyone with eyes could see that the Earth was obviously the center of the universe, unmoving.
Then along came Copernicus and Kepler and Galileo. They said that the Earth moved around the sun. Copernicus waited until he was nearly dead to publish his ideas. Kepler was fairly quiet about his views. But Galileo tested Aristotle's theories, and found that they were wrong. And far from staying quiet, Galileo was loud, obnoxious, and in the middle of Italy, he lived at the very heart of the powerful Church.
And the Church, which had proclaimed Aristotle as the authority, didn't like being questioned. They arrested Galileo and threatened to torture him unless he recanted. Earlier in Galileo's life, another man, Giordano Bruno, was tortured and burned at the stake for his heresies, so Galileo recanted.
The story goes that as Galileo finished recanting and rose from his knees, he whispered "eppur si muove," meaning "and yet it moves." This act of defiance probably never happened; Galileo knew that the Church wasn't fooling around. But it's a rollicking good story.
Today, the Bush administration's approach to political science is positively Aristotelian. They're stuck with the idea that almost everyone wants democracy. To them, it's such an obvious conclusion that it doesn't need to be tested. Following that conclusion, it stands to reason that anyone opposing the U.S. occupation of Iraq is simply that tiny minority that doesn't want democracy.
The problem is that there is no evidence to back up their spurious ideas. In fact, all evidence from history is to the contrary. Never has an occupying force brought democracy to a country without the complete acquiescence of the occupied peoples. And in the few cases where democracy took hold, that acquiescence was only won after a long, drawn-out and extremely bloody war.
Put simply, you can't just invade a country, throw out its government, and expect everyone to support your efforts.
Unfortunately, George W. Bush and his advisors refused to look at the facts. They assumed that their logic was unassailable. They assumed that they didn't need facts. They assumed -- and still assume -- that the overwhelming majority of Iraqis would welcome an American invasion.
We all know why we shouldn't assume.
The result to date is that hundreds of Americans are dead and thousands are wounded. Tens of thousands of Iraqis are dead (are they better off than before we invaded?). And if we continue down this road, there will be thousands of dead Americans before we're through.
Meanwhile, anyone in America who opposes the Bush administration's policy is labeled "soft on terror". Millions of dollars are being spent in political ads attacking anyone who disagrees with the current flawed policy. American citizens are being held in dungeons with their constitutional rights stripped away from them. Tremendous pressure to recant is being brought to bear upon those people who tell the truth.
Fortunately, in increasing numbers, Americans are standing up and saying, "Eppur si muove."
Copyright 2004, Dan Jacoby
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