> The exception does not make the rule. Soceity has never been at risk > of being over run by society shunning monks and thinkers. For most > people personal choice is a way of acting out their desires away from > the glare of social censure.
An exception usually attempts to disprove the rule, and in this case there was just one example given. Gazillions others exist, from the Socrateses to those that argued against blood-letting, to prove that ignoring individual choices or thinking can be hugely harmful to society as a whole. Society has always been at risk by not allowing personal decisions to flourish. I also disagree on the last sentence - every choice, whether social or personal, will invite some censure, personal or social. Either party doesn't care. The social element is far more dangerous which is why we loathe collateral damage. Often collateral damage is written away as a tradeoff, but like a white lie, it is always wrong.
