Subject: Re: [EM] Cheering for simplicity/Orphan From: Joe Mason
On Thu, Aug 21, 2003 at 10:41:39PM -0500, Adam Haas Tarr wrote:2) Since it is a Condorcet-compliant method, it shares all the weaknesses that
all Condorcet methods have in the eyes of the IRV advocates (i.e. the weak
center winner). I don't think an IRV supporter would see this as a compromise.
Since it requires multiple rounds, it also shares IRV's non-summability problem, so there a lot of Condorcet supporters who wouldn't see it as a compromise either.
Joe
(JBH) I've seen this attitude often on this list.
It is a wonderful thing to be a critic. One's moral purity and social superiority are assured, without ever having to get out of one's armchair.
Being an advocate is slightly harder, but not much. I've sent money to worthy causes, written letters to the editor and op-ed pieces, without getting any further from my armchair than the mailbox, which I visit regularly anyway.
The difference lies in the criteria for success. A critic seeks to obstruct any reform that is not ideal, not the best imaginable. If no reform happens, they have succeeded, whether their efforts were decisive or not, whether the status quo is anywhere close to ideal or not. An advocate seeks to make some change happen. If they are wise, they will choose to advocate reforms that are (1) politically achieveable (2) significantly better than the status quo. It SHOULD not matter to them if their proposed reforms are not ideal; they should not have any deep need to see their reform through rose-colored glasses. If they contribute toward making positive change happen, they have succeeded to that extent.
It is true that ideals motivate many to try to make them real. Ideals have a glow, a shimmer to them that inspires people. Max Stirner wrote of "ghosts"- "the things for which men live and die, that care not whether men live or die."
Advocates have to learn to live with disappointment. Their reforms will always take much longer than they expected, if ever enacted at all, and will do less good than they hoped. They must learn to take satisfaction in small victories. The critic can bask in a lifetime of almost-guaranteed success.
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John B. Hodges, jbhodges@ @usit.net
Do Justice, Love Mercy, and Be Irreverent.
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