ラッセル「寡頭制下の科学技術」
* 原著：The Impact of Science on Society, 1952, chapt.3: Scientific technique in an oligarchy
* 出典：牧野力(編)『ラッセル思想辞典』
以下は、牧野力氏による要旨訳（ただし、字句を少し修正）に原文を追加したものです。ただし、一部、該当する原文をまだ見つけられていません。
寡頭制は究極的な権力（最高権力）を社会の一部の者だけが握る組織、制度である。権力者がどんな人間であるかによってその組織制度に差がでる。絶対君主は極端な例で、その外に権力掌握者が、貴族階級、金持階級、新教徒、白人、単一の政党に限られたり、などいろいろある。過去には、財産。家（家柄）、人種に基づくことが普通であった
この体制は、イングランドでは宗教改革（の到来）とともに終わったが、1918年にロシアで、1923年にイタリアで、1933年にドイツで復活した・・・。
科学技術が組織の重要性を増大させるにつれ、権威/権力が個人の生活を侵害する程度も増大した。科学技術を活用する（現代の）の寡頭制は、昔の前科学的な時代のいかなる寡頭制よりも絶大な力を持つ。・・・そうして、国家が権力の全ての重要な機関を独占するので、一枚的なこの体制がもつ利点に誘惑される人々がいる。だが、この全体主義の欠陥はその利点をはるかに上回ると思う。・・・
過去の政治的寡頭制の利己的性格に民主主義者は反抗し、経済的事頭制に社会主義者は反逆した。人類の過去の寡頭制の弊害を認めた進歩主義者らは自己陶酔と錯覚から、新しい過激な体制を創り始めた。・・・
それは、排他的で独善的な信条に立って、批判者を反逆者扱いする。科学技術を駆使して、中世の宗教裁判以上に、迫害を探化、広域化する。小学生時代から 意見を統制し、家族が家族を監視、密告するに至る。大衆の反抗、蜂起は封ぜられ、夢物語となる
断種、遺伝子操作、人工授精などの科学技術に支えられて、男女は頭脳と筋力の差で種馬と労働馬と出産馬に区分され、プラトンの「国家』のように、幼児は職業的保母に管理される。やがて、今日の家族愛に奇異感を抱くに至る。 ・・・
全体主義理論は、個人の尊厳も人権も認めず、民主主義を空名と化し、国家、社会が個人の善と異なる善を達成すると主張する。
（I mean by 'oligarchy' any system in which ultimate power is confined to a section of the community; the rich to the exclusion of the poor, Protestants to the exclusion of Catholics, aristocrats to the exclusion of plebeians, white men to the exclusion of coloured men, males to the exclusion of females, or members of one political party to the exclusion of the rest. A system may be more oligarchic or less so, according to the percentage of the population that is excluded; absolute monarchy is the extreme of oligarchy.
... This system. although in England it ended with the Restoration, was revived in Russia in 1918, in Italy in 1922, and in Germany in 1933. ...
We have seen that scientific technique increases the importance of organisations, and therefore the extent to which authority impinges upon the life of the individual. It follows that a scientific oligarchy has more power than any oligarchy could have in pre-scientific times. ... A scientific oligarchy, accordingly, is bound to become what is called 'totalitarian', that is to say, all important forms of power will become a monopoly of the State. This monolithic system has sufficient merits to be attractive to many people, but to my mind its demerits are far greater than its merit. ...
... It was revolt against the selfishness of past political oligarchies that produced the Liberal movement in favour of democracy, and it was revolt against economic oligarchies that produced Socialism. But although everybody who was in any degree progressive recognised the evils of oligarchy throughout the past history of mankind, many progressives were taken in by an argument for a new kind of oligarchy.... And so, narcissistically hypnotised by contemplation of their own wisdom and goodness, they proceeded to create a new tyranny, more drastic than any previously known....
...
Sires will be chosen for various qualities, some for muscle, others for brains. All will have to be healthy, and unless they are to be the fathers of oligarchs they will have to be of a submissive and docile disposition. Children will, as in Plato's Republic, be taken from their mothers and reared by professional nurses. Gradually, by selective breeding, the congenital differences between rulers and ruled will increase until they become almost different species. A revolt of the plebs would become as unthinkable as an organized insurrection of sheep against the practice of eating mutton. ...
To those accustomed to this system, the family as we know it would seem as queer as the tribal and totem organization of Australian aborigines seems to us.)
