From: dance@cicero.spc.uchicago.edu (Squeal)
Date: Fri, 5 Aug 94 20:46:06 PDT
To: solman@MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: Voluntary Governments?
Message-ID: <9408051402.AA12655@cicero.spc.uchicago.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


[JWS writes:]

>Well, yeah. And this is a service. When individuals exercise their
>freedoms, they frequently interfere with other people's freedoms. To
>resolve this conflict, it is necessary to "control the actions or the
>behavior of" individuals such that they don't interfere with each
>other's freedoms. So they enter into a contract with each other
>under which this is accomplished, but a contract isn't worth the paper
>its written on unless somebody enforces it, so they hire a policing agency,
>the government. That agency is providing a useful service.

Well, as a tribalist, I don't agree that this "useful service" is
ultimately necessary.  I *do* agree, however, that government is necessary
*at the moment.*  As a species we have not evolved enough to learn to take
personal responsibility for our actions, therefore an external restraint
system is necessary.  My particular slant on anarchy calls for personal
responsibility, which I believe renders an external system of
superintendence unnecessary. But as I said before, this species isn't
ready.

>> It would be great if government could be a service provider, or simply feel
>> responsible for those it governs--but then it would not be a government any
>> longer.
>
>I don't agree with that last clause.

I would rather have Customer Service than government, but I don't believe I
can have both.

Write me some more and hear my other stupid ideas. ;)


 _/_/_/  _/_/_/   _/_/_/      _/      _/     The ancients who wished to
_/       _/  _/   _/         _/_/     _/     illustrate illustrious virtue
_/_/_/   _/  _/   _/_/_/    _/  _/    _/     throughout the world first
     _/  _/  _/   _/       _/_/_/_/   _/     ordered well their states.
_/_/_/   _/_/_/   _/_/_/  _/      _/  _/_/_/ Wishing to order well their
states, they  _/ first regulated their families. Wishing to regulate their
families, they first cultivated their persons. Wishing to cultivate their
persons, they first rectified their minds....
                                --THE GREAT LEARNING (Text & Commentary, IX)