On Fri, Jan 27, 2006 at 06:05:12PM -0600, T. M. Neeck wrote: >One of the best descriptions I've heard of the distinction between liberal >and conservative viewpoints is...wait for it...systems. (This will sound >familiar in a hurry.) The liberal viewpoint believes that it is possible to >create a political/ethical/whatever system, by means of which human behavior >can be moderated for the general welfare of all. (Thus the "Government is >Good" approach so commonly associated with that viewpoint.) By contrast, >the general conservative position holds that there is no "perfect system", >and that any system is only as good as those operating within it, and >therefore such a system should be unobtrusive, with a focus on allowing the >individual as much control as is feasible. (Thus placing the onus for a >functional society on private entities, be they citizens or corporations.) Presumably the midpoint is the sort of thing that we nominally have in western democracies, in which there's a set of rules to constrain the most markedly antisocial elements while theoretically allowing freedom for non-damaging but unusual behaviours... ...but I'm sure no two people would agree on where that midpoint is. :-) -- Roger, gaming grognard Lots of role-playing stuff: http://tekeli.li/ ---------------------------------------------------------------- GAMERS Home Page: http://www.phoenyx.net/gamers/
