Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version nyu B notes v1.5 12/10/84; site acf4.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!mtuxo!mtunh!mtung!mtunf!ariel!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!hplabs!pesnta!greipa!decwrl!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!cmcl2!acf4!mms1646 From: mms1646@acf4.UUCP (Michael M. Sykora) Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: Financing the government of a free society Message-ID: <1340269@acf4.UUCP> Date: Mon, 8-Jul-85 04:07:00 EDT Article-I.D.: acf4.1340269 Posted: Mon Jul 8 04:07:00 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 12-Jul-85 04:49:48 EDT References: <3841@alice.UUCP> Organization: New York University Lines: 51 >/* mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor) / 1:04 pm Jul 1, 1985 */ >Nope. Our Western governments normally run under laws that protect people >against pressures for social conformity on most issues (not all; it can >go both ways). The more local, and the more "democratic" (i.e. town-meeting >style) the government, the more likely is the pressure from government >to be toward social conformity. I was referring to government, and that includes local ones as well. >Is it why right-wingers dislike those groups so much? Perhaps, but to be sure you'll have to ask a right-winger, whatever that is. >The other side of that coin >is that this strong-willed individual is totally alone, relying on >internal insights as opposed to information that can be obtained from >outside sources. It is not clear what type of information you are referring to and just what "outside sources" are. Please elaborate. >Their own ideas prevail against rational argument, How does this follow merely from the fact that an individual is "strong- willed." >There might be such people, but (a) they are probably few >in number, and (b) they would be unlikely to fit into any kind of >social structure such as humanity has evolved from, and now needs more >than ever it did. If such people are few in number I suspect that it is due at least in part to the inculcation of authoritarian views of the world to children by society. As to your contention that humanity needs more social structure, I can only speak for myself, and I certainly have more than I can handle. If you mean more community between people in general, I can agree, but only voluntary community would be beneficial. >Social humans NEED to be susceptible to social >pressures, and to accept a moderate degree of conformity, just as they >NEED to be able to display individualistic (eccentric) traits. Yes, but perhaps our society overstresses conformity. I think so. You seem to also. >Martin Taylor Mike Sykora