From: Zero Powers (zero_powers@hotmail.com)
Date: Wed Jun 14 2000 - 14:40:43 MDT
>From: Brian D Williams <talon57@well.com>
> >Actually I was thinking more of a society of people enlightened
> >enough to realize that what's good for the whole is good for the
> >individual. It's simply a matter of realizing that the surest way
> >to keep your neighbor from stealing your bread is to be sure that
> >he has enough to keep his own belly full. I call it "enlightened
> >self-interest."
>
>Makes for good utopia novels, but is a complete denial of human
>nature, all it takes is one bad apple for the whole thing to
>unravel.
If the bad apple has nothing to gain by being a bad apple then perhaps the
whole thing won't unravel. It goes back to the nano-enabled plenty to go
around argument.
>Besides you can practice "enlightened self-interest" as a good
>Capitalist. If you live below your means (my new lifestyle) and
>sack the rest away in good investments, you can play philantropist
>to your hearts content.
Yes I can (and I do), but the burden on my charity would be lessened
significantly if *everyone* who had more than he needed tried to spread the
wealth as well.
> >Unfortunately such a society is unlikely to be stable for long as
> >long as there is not enough to go around for *everyone*. But
> >hopefully that minor problem will soon be solved by the good folks
> >over at Foresight :)
>
>Actually I think the World Game folks have demonstrated that there
>is enough to go around for everyone to die of gluttony. It is
>economic practices that hamper sufficient re-distribution.
"Enough to go around" means more than just a bowl of rice or porage. It
means adequate housing, education, health care, security -- essentially
quality of life befitting a human.
-Zero
"I like dreams of the future better than the history of the past"
--Thomas Jefferson
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