From: Brian D Williams (talon57@well.com)
Date: Wed May 29 2002 - 09:47:35 MDT
>From: Damien Broderick <d.broderick@english.unimelb.edu.au>
>How on earth can individual choice be an `excepted norm'? A norm
>can't be derived from an exception. A *goal* or *ideal* might be,
>but then your two examples collapse into one. Oh, hang on--did you
>mean `accepted'? If so, the dichotomy is absurdly restrictive, and
>describes nothing in the real mixed-economy world. I might as well
>(and perhaps with better reason) describe what you recommend as "a
>society where the greatest good [is] for the least number and to
>hell with anyone except *those* individuals". There have indeed
>been such societies, and they were often gaudy, beautiful in
>their palaces, vilely cruel and morally disgusting. But outside
>Ayn Rand novels and romantic bodice-busters about the French
>Revolution, the choice is never that stark. Luckily.
It was of course supposed to be "accepted" -1 point for me on the
proofreading.
No, what I recommend is a society where it's members have equal
rights and pay an equal share of the costs. Members/citizens pay
additional costs based on personnal choice, like having children,
unless you want to make all education private.
Not social policy by economic fiat.
>>You are mixing several separate threads together in your
>>summation and condemnation here. I would appreciate not having my
>>name being associated with this witches brew. I have refused to
>>participate in those other threads.
>I do tend to see what I regard as `antihumanist' declarations
>having certain aspects in common, even if different people voice
>them and except themselves from some such views. Brian, as I have
>noted previously, your declared view of capitalist society as a
>(desirable) war of all against all is Hobbesian, and I find that
>hard to reconcile with many gentler statements you've made in
>other posts.
The oldest tactic in debate is to accuse the other side of
something and force them into a defensive posture. That and the
good old ad hominem. (the Mensa or obese sf fan dynamic?)
I am a humanist, but not a socialist.
I don't see capitalism as a desirable "war", but the nature of a
free market economic system is highly competitive by definition. I
do see this as desirable, and the most efficient system yet
devised.
Society is not of course merely an economic layer, but a
governmental/political one as well.
Brian
Member:
Extropy Institute, www.extropy.org
National Rifle Association, www.nra.org, 1.800.672.3888
SBC/Ameritech Data Center Chicago, IL, Local 134 I.B.E.W
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sat Nov 02 2002 - 09:14:28 MST