Why the belief in "authority" is so dangerous.

[Londo_Jowo]

I have a few questions about your uptopian fantasy land.

If there's no government:

Money - How do people purchase essential items? Barter? What about those who have no skills worth bartering?

Schooling - Do the parents just teach their children whatever they chose? Preferably teach a skill they can use when bartering for essential items/needs?

Policing - How do you plan on handling the immoral? How about those that refuse to add to the system and chose to steal from their fellow man? Shoot offenders like the old west?

 

[sandorski]

The real issue is deriving authority from the consent of the governed, and in using that authority to promote social cohesion & an appreciation of shared values.

That's why democratic republics were invented, and why we have elections. That's also why we must necessarily limit the power of other authoritarian organizations, particularly religion & business. Their authority does not originate from democratic underpinnings at all.

Indeed.

 

[Jhhnn]

Incorrect. A moral society would not have a ruling class. Any attempt from a megalomaniac would be immediately seen as immoral and he would either be ostracized or conform.

Unfortunately, human beings aren't that moral, and our society is much more complex than that. Holders of great wealth have little to no idea as to the particulars of operations from which they profit or the circumstances of people employed by their corporate interests. They may operate on an entirely moral level in their personal lives, however.

 

[Elfear]

I have a few questions about your uptopian fantasy land.

If there's no government:

Policing - How do you plan on handling the immoral? How about those that refuse to add to the system and chose to steal from their fellow man? Shoot offenders like the old west?

Exactly. Would people be hired to enforce the laws of the moral society against those who choose not to follow the rules? If so wouldn't that just be what you're advocating against and if not would people just walk around doing as they wish (e.g. I like your car so I'm going to take it or I think your wife is hot so I'm dragging her off to my cave)?

You can't have a healthy society without rules and you can't have rules without enforcement which implies belief in authority.

 

[brianmanahan]

I have a few questions about your uptopian fantasy land.

If there's no government:

Money - How do people purchase essential items? Barter? What about those who have no skills worth bartering?

Schooling - Do the parents just teach their children whatever they chose? Preferably teach a skill they can use when bartering for essential items/needs?

Policing - How do you plan on handling the immoral? How about those that refuse to add to the system and chose to steal from their fellow man? Shoot offenders like the old west?

pfft, such trifling minutia that will naturally take care of themselves! :awe:

my take on the subject: people are inherently selfish and evil. without structure, without law, without rules and a structure that tends toward enforcing those rules, you end up with something like book of eli - most people just getting what they want any way they can get it.

am i saying that society and governance cannot be improved upon? of course not. do i know exactly how to go about making these improvements? no. but i do know that doing away with law and order is not the answer (except for the tv show, you can cancel that, i am not a fan).

 

[mizzou]

if we started recruiting good decent people for government positions, the world would be a happier place

 

[Double Trouble]

OP must be smoking some good stuff.... and he's not sharing.

If humans are going to live together in any sense of peace, they have to agree on a set of rules. If not, it is inevitable that one will do something the other one does not want, there will be conflict and violence. That's inevitable. That's why humans have always formed some sort of societal rule structure. Yes, that inherently means you are not free in the purest sense, but that's the price you pay for living alongside fellow humans. If you want to be truly free, you'll have to go where there are no other people.

 

[Jhhnn]

if we started recruiting good decent people for government positions, the world would be a happier place

As if that doesn't already happen.