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Pastimes : Let's Talk About Our Feelings!!!
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To: nihil who wrote (43518)7/4/1999 9:21:00 AM
From: Achilles  Read Replies (2) of 108807
 
>To get some one to do something that is not actually in their self-interest, such as paying taxes, it is usually necessary to impose an artificial penalty to induce them to do what they would never on their own initiative do even if educated. This is usually understood to be the reason that even a good society has to use compulsion in order to survive.<

As you can tell, I'm not a political philosopher nor educated in such. I agree that compulsion is necessary, though I would merely point out that it is possible that in a democracy a majority might vote against the system of compulsion or against enlightened self-interest in favour of narrow self-interest. Why do the childless not advocate the abolition of public schools? Some do. But most accept that the broader good outweighs the fact that they themselves are not able to benefit from these specific expenditures.
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