Ron Allen wrote:
> In a democracy, the citizens must be educated
> for life in a democracy. An informed citizenry
> will act differently from how subjects behave in
> so much of what is called "game theory".
Michael Price wrote:
> Why? What will this "education" do that will
> cause them to act against their interests?
Ron Allen wrote:
> Educated people have educated interests;
> ignorant people have ignorant interests.
Michael Price wrote:
> How exactly can an interest be ignorant? A
> person can be ignorant of their own true
> interest but that is the person's ignorance not
> the interest's.
Ron Allen answers:
If one is ignorant of their true interests, this
ignorance does not eliminate from the ignorant
person some sentiment, some conception, some
conviction about what is in their real and just
interests. The sentiment, etc. may be a wrong
sentiment, a mistaken and incongruous feeling,
even an immoral and dishonorable belief concerning
one's real and true interests; but, one's view of
their true and just interests can be either an
educated view, or an uneducated view.
Ron Allen wrote:
> Interests can be cultivated by moral awareness,
> and interests can be enlightened both by
> compassion and generosity. Where there is
> sympathy for others, and a measure of
> sensitivity to the pain and suffering of each
> and every person, that is where a clarified
> self-interest becomes harmonious and compatible
> with a moral interest in the welfare and
> happiness of others.
Michael Price wrote:
> So in other words they'd do it to be nice to
> other people. That's all very well but you
> can't run a society on that.
Ron Allen answers:
I cannot "run" society in any principle. I do
not wish to "run" society. Let society "run"
itself. Let society educated itself. Let society
govern itself.
Michael Price wrote:
> Getting people to do something to be nice to
> someone only works in limited situations.
Ron Allen answers:
This is dubious speculation, untested and
uncertain credulity.
Michael Price wrote:
> Firstly the cost of the thing (in time, money or
> labour) must be clearly commensurate with the
> "nice" result. Secondly the cost must be less
> than the resources the person has to give.
> Thirdly results must be clear, it should be
> known how much good is done so that people can
> judge whether the good is worth it. Fourthly
> the recievers of the charity can't be able to
> acquire the good thing by their own efforts. If
> you're missing some or most of these (and you
> are) people won't give.
Ron Allen answers:
In capitalism, if charity and welfare cannot serve
to reduce the general poverty, then the poor will
turn to crime in order to diminish the intensity
of their poverty. Capitalism is organized crime;
and, capitalism generates crime. Joseph Conrad
defined crime as "a breach of faith with the
community of mankind". The ideology of capitalism
is this breach of faith with the community of
humankind. The ideology of capitalism is founded
upon a fundamental absence of faith in human
beings, a failure of trust in human nature, and in
human freedom.
Robert Rice defined crime as "a logical extension
of the sort of behavior that is often considered
perfectly respectable in legitimate business".
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"If it is necessary for life, then it is necessary
for liberty."
-- Ron Allen
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