This work has been declared by the AHA board as historic, and is superseded by Humanist Manifesto III. The Manifesto is a product of many minds. It was designed to represent a developing point of view, not a new creed.
Re: the iron law of oligarchy Aug22-09, 10:47 PM JRDunassigned: The iron law of oligarchy is a political theory, first developed by the German syndicalist sociologist Robert Michels in his 1911 book, Political Parties. This is actually wrong.
In his 2011 book, Oligarchy, Jeffrey A. Winters defines oligarchy as the politics of wealth defense by materially endowed actors.. In Winters' definition, massive wealth is the key factor in identifying oligarchs. Throughout history, oligarchies have been tyrannical or relatively benign.