4 ms·

I'm not sure what to think of that attitude. I understand the motivation, but I find this statement particularly odd: > donation relies on the compassion of in

by baddox 9y ago

I'm not sure what to think of that attitude. I understand the motivation, but I find this statement particularly odd: > donation relies on the compassion of individuals, not on laws. It would be odd to expect laws to be more compassionate on average than all the individuals under the laws, particularly in an ostensibly democratic society. Yet I can think of several plausible reasons to expect laws to be less compassionate on average than individuals.

dragonwriter 9y ago
> It would be odd to expect laws to be more compassionate on average than all the individuals under the laws, particularly in an ostensibly democratic society. Not if you assume that compassion isn't complete selflessness, and at least some of the population understands on some level the adverse incentives associated with things that are game-theoretically similar to tragedy of the commons.
diogenescynic 9y ago
I think they are saying rights/laws/protections are better than relying on charity.
aylmao 9y ago
It's not about compassion, it's about having systems in place for situations like these. Laws encode behavior that should always happen. Compassion is private, and having thousands rely on it is not a reliable practice.
jacobolus 9y ago
The problem with slashing taxes and then outsourcing all of our public goods and social support systems to private patronage is that then the wealthy get to decide how they will work, with little public accountability. So if e.g. the main charity in town is a religious group, all of the homeless shelters and soup kitchens will come with a side of proselytizing or decide to turn away supposed blasphemers. Or if some of the main supporters of academic research happen to be motivated billionaires, we’ll see results that suspiciously align with their personal interests. Etc.

4 ms·

I'm not sure what to think of that attitude. I understand the motivation, but I find this statement particularly odd: > donation relies on the compassion of in

by baddox 9y ago

dragonwriter 9y ago
> It would be odd to expect laws to be more compassionate on average than all the individuals under the laws, particularly in an ostensibly democratic society. Not if you assume that compassion isn't complete selflessness, and at least some of the population understands on some level the adverse incentives associated with things that are game-theoretically similar to tragedy of the commons.
diogenescynic 9y ago
I think they are saying rights/laws/protections are better than relying on charity.
aylmao 9y ago
It's not about compassion, it's about having systems in place for situations like these. Laws encode behavior that should always happen. Compassion is private, and having thousands rely on it is not a reliable practice.
jacobolus 9y ago
The problem with slashing taxes and then outsourcing all of our public goods and social support systems to private patronage is that then the wealthy get to decide how they will work, with little public accountability. So if e.g. the main charity in town is a religious group, all of the homeless shelters and soup kitchens will come with a side of proselytizing or decide to turn away supposed blasphemers. Or if some of the main supporters of academic research happen to be motivated billionaires, we’ll see results that suspiciously align with their personal interests. Etc.