Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site whuxl.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxj!houxm!whuxl!orb From: orb@whuxl.UUCP (SEVENER) Newsgroups: net.politics,net.philosophy Subject: Re: Re:Democracy and Libertarianism Message-ID: <415@whuxl.UUCP> Date: Tue, 8-Jan-85 18:10:38 EST Article-I.D.: whuxl.415 Posted: Tue Jan 8 18:10:38 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 11-Jan-85 08:00:18 EST References: <395@ptsfa.UUCP> <12@ucbcad.UUCP> <2585@sdcc3.UUCP> <32@ucbcad.UUCP> <408@whuxl.UUCP> <633@whuxlm.UUCP> Distribution: net Organization: Bell Labs Lines: 27 Xref: watmath net.politics:6687 net.philosophy:1341 > The key word to a libertarian here is "all." If a community of people > ALL wish to contribute, I doubt if any libertarian would object -- they > don't oppose voluntary actions. The reason that democracy and a certain amount of compromise is necessary is because ALL (100%) of the people in a group will never agree to ANYTHING! Have you ever been in a group of people in which everyone totally agreed? Such an event may occur but it is comparatively rare and limited to small groups. Therefore when disagreements over which actions the group should take arise and decisions must be made, then a democratic vote seems one of the best ways of making such decisions. Such situations constantly occur. In our own field for example: a Computer Center often has to choose to get one mainframe out of the vast range of mainframe computers offered on the market. Everyone will not be satisfied with whatever computer is selected. But they may all benefit by pooling together to get one computer rather than many which are less efficient. At the same time the Computer Center cannot possibly get every computer its users desire. Thus comes the problem of choice and the problem of politics. These are precisely the sorts of issues that political philosophy is about. What is the best way to make such decisions? How can one insure that everyone's benefit is maximized while no individuals rights are trampled? I happen to think democracy is the best means of solving such problems. To pretend that there never are such problems is to wish away the whole field of politics and its paradoxes. tim sevener whuxl!orb