Fwd: Re: deep democracy / SD2 / who is right?

Mark parashakti108 at yahoo.com
Tue, 05 Apr 2005 22:09:15 -0000

--Thinkers-International@yahoogroups.com, "Mark" wrote:
--ShadowJD@a... wrote:
 
> >J: The problem with experts and activists is that they disagree. 
When the presidents, governors, county commissioners, and senators 
responsible for the people's governments seek experts for advice, 
they often get two or more contradictory options. Activists have a 
lot of enthusiasm and they keep the voters awake, but they aren't 
much help to the government. Right wing activists can't agree with 
left wing activists about economics, pacifists can't agree with 
militarists about how to keep the peace, and scientists can't agree 
with creationists about education. Some experts want to be tougher on 
drug use, and others think there shouldn't be any laws at all. Good 
representatives need to keep all these groups happy somehow, or at 
least spread the unhappiness around fairly. Jay

> -M: So, activists don't agree with each other and experts don't 
agree with each other. So, who is right, and how would this be known?
 
> -M: SD2 uses an algorithm that "asks around" for expert opinion, 
then places these top experts in the "hot-seat" of accountability. I 
am still waiting for someone to propose a better system then mine.

>        ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
>J: Who is right? That's a very interesting question, but it isn't 
really a political question.

-M: Philosophical discourse, ontological, epistemological and 
ethical, always has political implications because political 
philosophy is built out of these systems.

>J: The government's job is to protect the people's freedom to have a 
variety of opinions.

-M: What is freedom? This is an *ethical* question that is known 
through *epistemological* means, and has *ontological* 
presuppositions.

>J: A chemist, a poet, and a boy scout might each have a different 
understanding of the meaning of fire, but it isn't the government's 
job to say which of them is right.

-M: I want there to be a public education system, and I want one that 
can address the issue of the "meaning of fire". This is government.

>J: In a free society, all three could discuss fire without fear of 
being arrested for expressing their true beliefs, learn more about 
fire from each other, and learn something important about the value 
of freedom and variety.[...] Jay

-M: Government still may have to decide on the "meaning of fire" in 
court cases, in scientific policy and in the education system.

-M: Who is right, and who are going to make these decisions? These 
are issues that SD2 addresses. Now do you see why SD2 is so important?

-Shanti
-Mark, International Social Organizer, SD2
-Seattle WA USA  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sd-2
--- End forwarded message ---