This is the third in an on-going series about the ideas in Jane Jacobs' "Systems of Survival".
In Part 1, I summarized the basic premise of the book: there are two moral systems, Commercial and Guardian. I also offered the conclusion that
Government should not be run like a business.
Businesses should not be run by government.
In Part 2 I listed the totality of Commercial Morals. Each behaviour reinforces the others.
Now, I'll cover Guardian Morals. The military is the foremost example of an organization designed on Guardian Morals.
The morals are:
Shun trading
Exert prowess
Be obedient and disciplined
Adhere to tradition
Respect hierarchy
Be loyal
Take vengeance
Deceive for the sake of the task
Make rich use of leisure
Be ostentatious
Dispense largesse
Be exclusive
Show fortitude
Be fatalistic
Treasure honor
Shun trading means that generals and admirals are not "for hire". They do not sell their military skills on the open market. If they disagree with superiors, they cannot find an investor and set up their own operation the way a business person can.
Exert prowess, be ostentatious and dispense largesse are all about having, using and showing power. Military parades are a classic example.
Obedience, discipline, tradition, hierarchy, loyalty, exclusivity and honor are all core military values. It would be hard to imagine a military without them.
Take vengeance and deceive for the sake of the task are both necessary for proper strategy. If an enemy attacks, you defend and then hit back. It is honorable to lie to and deceive your enemies in warfare. Indeed, providing honest information is espionage.
Make rich use of leisure is a bit strange. Jane argues that it arose from hunting societies where over-hunting was to be avoided. Likely this behaviour is symptomatic of work that happens in bursts.
Show fortitude and be fatalistic are required because things are so unpredictable that you have to be willing to fight even in the worst situations.
Other occupations and groups that follow guardian morals include police, NGOs, poiticians and bureaucrats. The basic concept is that of territory: protect and enlarge. Guardians do not directly attempt to create new territory. Instead they view the world in zero-sum terms; a win for me is a loss for my enemy.
In a future diary I'll explore what happens when these two moral systems collide -- it can be pretty ugly. But for now, I'll end with a subtle distinction between the moral systems:
Competitors = Commercial
Opponents = Guardian