"A democracy which makes or even effectively prepares for modern, scientific war must necessarily cease to be democratic. No country can be really well prepared for modern war unless it is governed by a tyrant, at the head of a highly trained and perfectly obedient bureaucracy"
- Aldous Huxley
About this Quote
This quote by Aldous Huxley recommends that a democracy can not effectively get ready for modern-day, scientific war. Huxley suggests that in order to be sufficiently prepared for modern-day warfare, a country needs to be governed by a tyrant, with an extremely trained and loyal bureaucracy. This suggests that a democracy is not capable of making the essential decisions and preparations for contemporary warfare, as it is too sluggish and inefficient. Huxley's quote recommends that a democracy is not suitable for modern warfare, as it is unable to make the required decisions and preparations in a timely way. This is due to the reality that a democracy is based on the concept of individuals having a say in the choices that are made, which can cause delays in choice making. For that reason, Huxley's quote implies that a democracy is not suitable for modern-day warfare, as it is not able to make the required choices and preparations in a prompt manner.
"One has children in the expectation of dying before them. In fact, you want to make damn sure you die before them, just as you plant a tree or build a house knowing, hoping that it will outlive you. That's how the human species has done as well as it has"
