Jon
> Sure, we can all get together and decide to alter our government in a way
> that will lead to increased wealth for everyone. And this increased wealth
> will no doubt save some lives. I don't have a problem with that, David. It's
> high Quality. But that doesn't change us inside. The wealth around us may
> bloom, but our inner-selves remain unchanged. Our values toward others
> unaltered. Does this make any sense?
DLT
Two points. I can't quickly find the rightquote but this one will do for starters.
"A human being is a collection of ideas, and these ideas take moral precedence over a society.
Ideas are patterns of value. They are at a higher level of evolution than social patterns of
value." pg. 185
Somewhere Pirsig says something to the effect that on intellectual level (highest, most dominant
level) ONLY as individuals do we experience Dynamic Quality, the source of all change. So when you
say, "But that doesn't change us inside" I would say that if society or any pattern of values is
changing it is one individual at a time. I will grant you that many of these changes are not
necessary conscience individual choice, but the changes still are manifested one individual at a
time.
So the key is, to quote Rand for the upteenth time, "As a human being, you have no choice about the
fact that you need a philosophy. Your only choice is whether you define your philosophy by a
conscious, rational ..process or let your subconscious accumulate a junk heap of unwarranted
conclusions...”
...choices made, by not choosing, are choices just the same.
When you say " we can all get together and decide to alter our government in a way that will lead
to increased wealth for everyone." You miss the point. Natural capitalism is not necessarily about
"increased" wealth but about redefining what "wealth" is. About finding ways to capitalize
qualities (Good qualities) other than those normally considered within traditional economic
systems.
DLT
MOQ Online Homepage - http://www.moq.org
Mail Archive - http://alt.venus.co.uk/hypermail/moq_discuss/
Unsubscribe - http://www.moq.org/md/index.html
MD Queries - horse@wasted.demon.nl
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Sat Aug 17 2002 - 16:03:17 BST