From: Chris Wolcomb (jini@hotbot.com)
Date: Tue Jan 19 1999 - 22:24:09 MST
Frederick Mann said:
>Furthermore, there's a fundamental difference between
>the dots on paper we perceive as a photo/picture and
>the supposed "collection of humans" some call "society."
>That difference lies in the largely fixed relationship
>between the dots on one piece of paper, and the very
>different kinds of "fluid" relationships (or lack of)
>between the individual humans some claim constitute a
>"society."
>
Fred,
For arguments sake, how is a collection of people forming a society any different fundamentally than a collection of cells composing your own body? They do interact in wyas that are highly fluid and dynamic. And those cells are themselves composed of a large and complex mix of molecules who also interact with each other in highly complex and fluid ways - ways which are still only now beginning to understand.
I therefore see no philosophical reason to speak of 'society' as any less fictious as a single 'human' or single 'cell', both of which could just as easily be seen as fictions in the same way that 'society' is a fiction.
Either everything beyond a collection of atoms is fiction, or Ayn Rand is Wrong - pure and simple.
---Chris
HotBot - Search smarter.
http://www.hotbot.com
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Fri Nov 01 2002 - 15:02:53 MST