[MD] How far do you go to preserve individual life?

[Andre Broersen]

  Platt to Andre:

Can we agree that any central government program that controls the production
and distribution of goods and/or services is "socialist."

Andre:
Can we agree that you are equating an intellectually run 'distribution of goods
and/or services' as socialist?

Platt:
As Pirsig, wrote: "But the superorganism, the Giant, who is a
pattern of values superimposed on top of biological human bodies, doesn't mind
losing a few bodies to protect his greater interests." (Lila, 17) Sounds like
socialism to me, you know, the system justified by the slogan used by every
despot in history, "For the public good."

Andre:
I think you are very mistaken here Platt. Phaedrus made these observations from his
balcony in his New York appartment overlooking New York. He was reflecting on the
dominant social value system called capitalism in America and New York in particular.

Platt:
I'm afraid you have omitted the real reason for the financial "crises" -- the
burst of the housing bubble due to the central's government's demand that banks
offer home mortgages to deadbeats.

Andre:
Yep, that was one of the reasons a Dutch bank, trying to gain a foothold in America,
also tried to justify its reckless, irresponsible, greed-inspired behaviour.

Platt:
To me, the highest human value is individual liberty...I have no objection whatsoever to
anyone who voluntarily chooses to help anyone they consider as having a "need." But, I do
object to having a gun at my head with the demand, "Give me your money because I need it
more that you do."

Andre:
It seems to me that you are really confusing a few things here Platt, and you are confusing 
me as well.Individual liberty...what does it mean? That I have the right to hold a gun at someone's
head and say: 'Give me your money'? This is the same thing Wilder's said at Ground Zero the other
day....he advocated 'In the name of freedom, no mosques here!

What I am getting at is that 'liberty' or 'freedom' imply certain preconditions and responsibilities.
They imply agreed upon intellectual assumptions based on scientifically verifiable data.
Given the dominant values we live in (intellectually supported) organic and social values and the
criticised (by Mr. Pirsig) assumptions of this dominant intellectual level the terms 'liberty' and
'freedom' may be in need of re-definition as well (as Mr. Pirsig has suggested).

Platt:
Thanks for the exchange.

Andre:
Mmm, are we finished? I mean...fine by me. You have the liberty and freedom to terminate a discussion
any time.