Ron Johnson said... > On Wed, 2005-11-23 at 06:34 +0800, Katipo wrote: > > Clive Menzies wrote: > > > > >On (20/11/05 22:08), Katipo wrote: > > > > > >>Clive Menzies wrote: > [snip] > > > > What happens when the individual no longer exists? > > > > Because, in the future, existence without the organisation is going to > > become increasingly difficult. > > The 'organisation' is extending its boundaries to match nationalistic > > ones, and the new ethic will be taught from birth. > > Isn't that's what's been happening, though, since the beginning > of time? > > Man, after all is a social creature, and "individualism" is a > relatively new concept. European peasants would not understand > it, and "The nail that sticks up will be hammered down" has been > a Japanese proverb for hundreds of years.
"The liberty of the individual is no gift of civilization. It was greatest before there was any civilization, though then, it is true, it had for the most part no value, since the individual was scarcely in a position to defend it. The development of civilization imposes restrictions on it, and justice demands that no one shall escape those restrictions." Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents, 1929 Read something like Philip Ball's 'Critical Mass' for a geek-friendly take on this stuff. -- Best, Marc -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]