[MD] Intellect on trial

[John Carl]

On Wed, Nov 24, 2010 at 2:37 PM, Steven Peterson
<peterson.steve at gmail.com>wrote:

Freedom is a negative. It says

> that there is something that we don't want. What is it we _do_ want?
>
> I like to say, "democracy," but it often gets taken too literally in
> terms of voting.



John:

Besides, democracy is a means to an end, not a goal.  What we want is a good
life, and we believe that democracy offers the most freedom and opportunity
to let us pursue a good life.

The mistake that many make, especially liberals, is that somehow democracy
is supposed to guarantee a good life.  Not so.  Democracy just guarantees
you the opportunity to make one for yourself and hopes that in a plurality
of various experiences, the good will percolate into reality.

So what is it we do want?  Obviously, I've already stated - a good life.
But what does that mean?  Is it just a matter of material comfort?  I got
big problems with that, but that seems to be where we've ended up in our
public philosophy.  Happiness is gd GDP.

Steve:



> What I think we ought to want , and what I mean by
> democracy, is a system where political power resides with the people.
>

John:

I believe poeple have all the political power they need.  They just don't
know what to do with it.  I'd say the internet, if it does nothing else,
allows the political power of people to be formed and felt - realized.  The
fact that they'd rather surf porn and watch football and let somebody else
do their thinking for them is an aspect of free choice too.

(mea culpa, you assholes, if you think I'm getting on some kind of moral
high horse - I'm just intellectually explicating a pattern, is all.)

Steve:

Words like tolerance and freedom are words for our best ideas about
> how to get such a system--how to keep the rule of the majority from
> becoming tyranny over the minority, how to best respect and balance
> the needs of all, how to have the good life.
>

I agree.  And mainly, all that is in place and functioning exactly as you
describe.  There should be no problems then, right?  But there are, so it
must be more than tyranny that is problematic.  Methinks there is a crisis
in values, abroad in the land, and very little understanding of that
crisis,, outside the hallowed halls of present company, of course.

John