Hi Ray,
To your question (shown below), I would say not a chance. Either to a
social engineering solution as espoused by Pete Vincent (which otherwise I
would applaud) or by objectives needing fulsome use of Platonic expressions
such as "freedom" and "beauty" (which otherwise I would also applaud if I
knew what the expression meant) . . . . .
*unless*
. . . . and until there is a far wider and deeper appreciation of the
genetic predispositions that have been laid down in our DNA for millions of
years. (An article in "Nature" yesterday is now putting back the date of
our primate ancestors by several more million years!)
It's no use designing anything or assuming the values of anything until one
thoroughly knows the nature of the raw material. We're a pretty rough and
anomalous package of behaviours that's been arrived at by evolutionary
expedience. As Socrates said: "Know thyself".
Keith
,
At 14:20 18/04/02 -0400, you wrote:
(REH)
<<<<
So I would pose the question: Is it possible for humans to design a system
or systems that
1. build maximum social efficency without creating "losers" as the food to
energize the system's successes.
2. creates a reasonable freedom,
including the freedom to work,
the freedom to develop one's talents
the freedom from ignorance
the freedom from avoidable illness
the freedom from incompetance
the freedom from physical oppression
the freedom from unreasonable abuse by both public and private
systems.
3. create resonable social welfare design,
4. create an environment that is beautiful, balanced and that
-respects heritage
-lives in the moment
-stimulates and develops creativity.
-that leaves a world that does all of the above for our descendants
as well.
>>>>
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“Writers used to write because they had something to say; now they write in
order to discover if they have something to say.” John D. Barrow
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Keith Hudson, Bath, England; e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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