Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!houxm!houxz!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!hplabs!zehntel!dual!amd!decwrl!decvax!mcnc!ecsvax!dgary From: dgary@ecsvax.UUCP Newsgroups: net.philosophy Subject: Re: Were not drifting; were being tugged - (nf) Message-ID: <3088@ecsvax.UUCP> Date: Thu, 9-Aug-84 15:39:02 EDT Article-I.D.: ecsvax.3088 Posted: Thu Aug 9 15:39:02 1984 Date-Received: Mon, 13-Aug-84 00:47:22 EDT References: ism780b.55 Lines: 30 <> >From: jim@ism780b.UUCP Wed Aug 8 00:31:13 1984 >Not *all* people have these problems. The percentage of people which have >these problems vary widely from society to society. This is because *people >are a product of their environment*. This includes you. Valid point. It's interesting to look at crime statistics in various countries. Why is murder so much rarer in Switzerland than in Italy? (Switzerland having much weaker gun laws to boot, I believe.) And why is the US rate of violent crime so high, in spite of our having the largest portion of our population in prison of any Western democracy (and someone correct me if that isn't true)? >I am interested in discussing institutions and their effects on societies >and the people who make them up, and ways of changing those institutions >to achieve better societies. I am tired of arguing with simplistic >libertarians who have no philosophical depth. Does anyone else out there >have any constructive ideas? >-- Jim Balter (ima!jim) A little strongly stated, but I tend to concur. Obtaining freedom is loads harder than just putting limits on government. Wish I could get all Libertarians to read John Stuart Mill's On Liberty. That may be asking a lot from people who consider Ayn Rand a philosopher, however... :-> D Gary Grady Duke University Computation Center, Durham, NC 27706 (919) 684-4146 USENET: {decvax,ihnp4,akgua,etc.}!mcnc!ecsvax!dgary