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An ordinary human being, with a personal conscience, personally answering for something to somebody and personally and directly taking responsibility, seems to be receding farther and farther from the realm of politics. Politicians seem to turn into puppets that only look human and move in a giant, rather inhuman theatre; they appear to become merely cogs in a huge machine, objects of a major civilizational automatism which has gotten out of control and for which nobody is responsible.

Vaclav Havel#87

PoliticsSocietyEthicsResponsibility

About this quote

What does it mean?
Personal conscience and responsibility are receding from politics, which now feels like an impersonal machine with no accountability.
In plain terms
Politics is becoming mechanistic, losing personal responsibility.
What can you take from it?
Restore personal accountability in political life.

Where it applies

  • elections
  • policy making
  • public administration

Putting it to work

  • encourage transparency
  • promote citizen oversight

Questions to consider

  • What can rehumanize politics?
  • How does anonymity affect accountability?

Another view

Some systemic reforms may be needed beyond personal responsibility.

More from Vaclav Havel

  1. I have had direct experience of this myself. Often, what the press wrote, or did not write, about a remark I made somewhere proved to be of a far greater conse…

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  2. Today's world, as we all know, is faced with multiple threats. From whichever angle I look at this menace, I always come to the conclusion that salvation can o…

    Permalink to quote #88
  3. It also happens, rather often, that politicians do not actually talk to each other but only to one another's shadows as they appear in the media.

    Permalink to quote #85

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