Mechanism of Politics

by Lee, Chang Hoo

Chapter 1. Basic Principles of Political Phenomena

(3) The 3rd Law of Naturality: Law of Repulsion

The 3rd law of naturality in social phenomenon corresponds to the law of action and reaction in the classical dynamics physics, and this means the following.

Peter fights with the tiger. At this time, it is beneficial to fight and win, but this also means that there is a threat from the tiger. The more you pursue big profits by expanding your business, the greater the threat of bankruptcy becomes. When King Jeongjo of Joseon in the 18th century tried to increase Joseon's profits through reformation, he had to face a tough battle (threat) with the anti-reformist rebels who did not follow his line. In the 1830s in the United States, the abolition of slavery appeared with tremendous force, but at the same time it collided with significant opposition. These phenomena are what the law of repulsion means. This principle of repulsion is essentially the same as the principle of action and reaction in Newtonian physics.

The most fundamental meaning of this law is that the relationship between threat and benefit is logically connected. That is, benefit and threat are like two sides of a coin and are mutual repulsion to each other's actions. Therefore, overcoming a threat leads to gaining a benefit, and reducing a benefit leads to reducing a threat. However, humans can sometimes learn about other people's actions later on and sometimes act in the future based on past memories, so the repulsion B to action A can also come later after the initial action A. As a result, when alliances are formed between several countries in international relations, time gaps can occur when opposing alliances are also formed. This is because political repulsion follows later in time compared to simultaneous occur- rences of action and reaction in physical phenomena.

The law of repulsion becomes especially clear when resources are scarce because it means that in order to increase my own benefit, I must take away the benefit of others. Especially in political relationships, it includes domination over the other, which means a decrease in the other's benefit, so political (power-level) benefits must necessarily be scarce. However, even if not, if my benefit is large, others will be envious when they increase their own benefit, so the law of repulsion applies. As a result, my benefit is faced with the threat of being seized, and this becomes a threat to me.

The law of repulsion also applies to political activities on the organizational or national level, not just on a personal level. In 1968, North Korea sent armed soldiers to attack the presidential palace after defecting military personnel, and the following year sent guer- rillas to Samcheok. These violent provocations further stimulated South Korea's sense of security, leading to the strengthening of President Park Jung-hee's power and military control. Threats to the South Korean government brought about its own benefits. In October 1956, there was a political demonstration in Hungary demanding the return of Imre Nagy's power and reform, which led to the Soviet Union's bloody suppression. And it again triggered the backlash of the reinforcement of Western hostility towards the Soviet Union and the stagnation of communism within the USSR. In the late 19th century, when large corporations emerged in the United States and the economic monopoly of big businesses intensified, the result was increased crisis among farmers and workers. Soon, criticisms and complaints about corruption related to the new industrial tycoons flooded.

Examples of more macro-level cases include the Crusades and the East-West Cold War of the 20th century. The Crusades were a war initiated by the European Christian cultural sphere in response to the strengthening of the Islamic Empire in the Middle East. The increase in the benefits of the Islamic Empire threatened. In the East-West Cold War, the increase in military spending by one side also led to an increase in military spending by the opposing side, in response.

Implications of Law of Repulsion

The essence of the law of repulsion operating in all aspects of politics and social phenomena is that it arises from the survival process and struggle in politics and society[Ch.1.1], and the law of repulsion is only a reflection of survival competition and struggle[Tab.1.1]?. Such a law of repulsion reveals that impulsive political activities based on political philosophy can easily cause adverse effects. This is why it is necessary to consider the political phenomena when engaging in political activities.

After the cruel and excessively delusional Commodus was murdered, Pertinax(193) strove to restore order and came up with measures to fill the national treasury. However, he tried to change too much in a short time and lost his imperial position due to betrayal due to the backlash. In 1979, the Afghan communist government, which elevated Soviet power, launched a series of radical social reforms, but this led to an Islamic rebellion as a result of backlash.

In the 1950s during South Korea's dictatorial government of the Liberty Party, when education supervisors and school principals committed various corruption, a teachers union movement developed as a result. Some teacher organizations, which later developed into a Jeon Gyojo, revealed a strong pro-North and extremist tendency, such as triggering the suicide of a school principal in Boseong elementary school and taking junior high school students to attend a commemoration ceremony at Ppalchisan. Then they also have faced criticism for their illegal operations.

The law of repulsion operates universally, thus even reasonable choices or claims always result in political backlash. When King Sejong developed printing techniques and created the Korean alphabet, the nobles opposed it because it threatened their mono- poly on language and everything else. In 715 AD during the Tang dynasty, when a swarm of locusts invaded the Sandong region and the proposal was made to mobilize forces to catch the locusts, this was met with opposition, as it could disrupt the harmony of heaven. In the 13th century, after Simon de Montfort emerged victorious in the war with King Henry III in England, he convened the Great Council in 1264 and 1265 and introduced several new measures, which sparked political repulsion due to both his success and his authoritarian personality. In 1957, when the economic ministers explained the necessity of the five-year economic development plan, President Seungman Rhee opposed it on the grounds that it was the way of the Communist enemy, which was the root of his repulsion. While it is important to understand how opposition is raised with each political action, it is also important to understand that repulsion follows all political actions in a more general sense.

What should be considered when engaging in political activities while taking into account the law of repulsion? First, sufficient time must be taken to deduce political results. The greater the force applied to an object and the more sudden the force, the greater the repulsion. In the same way, sudden pursuit of a specific result in political activity leads to greater political opposition as a result of repulsion. Second, consideration must be given to the relative rather than the absolute benefit of each political actor. While it is also important to consider the benefit to the other side if I choose something, the difference between my benefit and the other's benefit is more important from the perspective of repulsion.

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