tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post3083447213027559798..comments2024-03-28T20:04:20.286-07:00Comments on One Cʘsmos: Centralized Stupidity, AKA the StateGagdad Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14249005793605006679noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-54380685147507832892018-11-08T07:49:12.755-08:002018-11-08T07:49:12.755-08:00"But what do they end up centralizing? That&#..."But what do they end up centralizing? That's right: stupidity. And what is coerced stupidity? Yes, the theft of liberty: you are forced to do something stupid, and forbidden to do what you know best how to do."<br /><br />Yep. Centralizing power through regulatory laws or policies, is an attempt to determine 'smarter' behavior, without regard to, and in ignorance of, the relevant realities of the moment which drive the behavior of the people who'll actually be responding to them. It is really and truly imposing stupidity at a distance. <br /><br />Surprisingly (at first glance), I think it requires a higher than average 'intelligence'(the circuitry of it, anyway), to believe and devise those decisions to be imposed, but coupled with an off the charts arrogance and contempt for reality. AKA: The Pro-Regressive mind - Left and Right. Van Harveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08470413719262297062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-27121274222953760342018-11-06T12:38:19.745-08:002018-11-06T12:38:19.745-08:00And law can erode principle, because then you only...<i>And law can erode principle, because then you only avoid certain unprincipled choices for fear of being caught; or, you conflate morality with being law-abiding.</i><br /><br />Perhaps tangentially, people also avoid certain principled behaviors when said behaviors are mandated by law. Specifically, I'm, thinking of voluntary vs. coerced charity. Where more tax dollars go to welfare programs, people tend to be less generous on their own. Why take care of your neighbor when you know he just needs to go get a government check?<br /><br /><i>Socialism would be so easy if only omniscience were possible: if the state possessed all the relevant knowledge, then it would just be a matter of logic and logistics.</i><br /><br />China is trying to accomplish exactly that with its social credit program. Everyone you talk to, everything you read, everything you buy, pretty much everything you do is tracked, and the consequences for "bad" behavior are heavy.juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15975754287030568726noreply@blogger.com