Hi, Horse! and Group!
Horse wrote:
> > The administration by the State of the means of production, putatively
> > owned by People, is how I define socialism.
>
> Sounds more like Marxism.
Webster's New College Edition (at least it was new 20 years ago!) in
which the above definition was given is my dictionary of choice.
> But one of the basic tenets of the MOQ is that it is moral to prevent biology from
> damaging society. Isn't this coercion? Perhaps if we put "where biological behaviour is
> likely to harm others" it would be more acceptable.
The short answer: It is the responsibility of the intellectual to
maintain and help to evolve the social. Biology must be controlled, but
the problem is to control it humanely. You can't have teenagers breeding
indiscrimately, but you can't bottle up their sex drives completely, or
you get a different, if not bigger, problem.
My current line of thought is developing in this direction; I'm not
quite ready to float the trial balloon yet.
> > Ironically, it is, as far as I know, universally true that the people
> > who exercise the power of the State are only rarely constrained by the
> > rules the rest of us poor schmucks have to live by.
>
> Which does nothing to detract from Socialism as equality of treatment, rights and
> opportunity for all. What it does bring into focus is that possibly democracy in general
> and representational democracy in particular doesn't work.
Actually, you could find this principle in ANY government. The more
authoritarian, the bigger the disparity between the ruled and the ruling
class. The representative republic is so far the best system for
limiting the power of the ruling class. Pure democracy simply doesn't
work.
>
> > For example, I give you the "most ethical administration in history"
> > here in America.
>
> I'd have to disagree here. Any society that condones and practices capital punishment
> fails to be ethical.
Was in reference to Clinton administration. Tongue firmly in cheek. I
make the same argument vis a vis abortion and ethics, but PLEASE let's
not go there.
> Tell me about it!!!!! I've got one 9 year old boy and two one year old twin girls - > eek!
Coincidence! My two oldest are twins (boy/girl) - I don't envy you at
all. If you ever need some unscientific advice, let me know.
Be well!
drose
MOQ Homepage - http://www.moq.org
Mail Archive - http://alt.venus.co.uk/hypermail/moq_discuss/
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Sat Aug 17 2002 - 16:02:53 BST