This book by Somit and Peterson explores the prevalence of authoritarian governments over democracies throughout history. They argue that human social nature favors hierarchical structures, making true democracies rare. The authors suggest that nation-building efforts are often futile without the necessary conditions and advocate for focusing resources domestically.
An international gathering of scholars examines democratic theory in the light of recent discoveries by biologists, ethologists, and psychologists.In this book contributors do not attempt to find a single solution to the theoretical problem of the existence of "elites" in a democratic system, but to make a serious approach to examining various aspects of that problem. Albert Somit raises the political-philosophical problem of the contradiction between the existence of elites and democratic concepts. Benson E. Ginsburg views the heritage of the biological nature of our own species, while Steven A. Peterson analyzes whether dominance behavior and political hierarchies may make democracy an unattainable ideal. James N. Schubert explores the effects of dominance hierarchy in small groups, and Ulrich Marguing that to understand voting a realistic conception of individual choice processes is necessary.
The Biological Bases of Authoritarianism
Exploring the paradox of political systems, the authors analyze the historical prevalence of authoritarian societies alongside the occasional emergence of stable democracies. They apply a neo-Darwinian perspective, suggesting that humans, as social primates, possess an innate bias toward authoritarianism due to dominance behaviors and hierarchies, coupled with a natural inclination for obedience. This framework provides insights into why authoritarianism remains dominant, even as democratic systems sporadically arise and endure.