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I think a problem with that mentality is that it's antidemocratic. Basically you're saying that potentially the only laws you'll recognize are those with which

I think a problem with that mentality is that it's antidemocratic. Basically you're saying that potentially the only laws you'll recognize are those with which you agree. If other citizens were to also adopt that policy, we'd literally have anarchy.

js8 9y ago
> I think a problem with that mentality is that it's antidemocratic. It is only antidemocratic if you have democracy. Can you really put a question "should the scientific research be published for free" to a popular vote in your country?
spacemanmatt 9y ago
Have you met our national leadership lately? America is undemocratic.
LyndsySimon 9y ago
From the standpoint of American government it was never intended to be a democracy. "Democracy" was feared by the Founders, who saw it as mob rule. As for picking and choosing what laws one recognizes as legitimated, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr put it better than I can: > One may well ask: "How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?" The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all." --- > If other citizens were to also adopt that policy, we'd literally have anarchy. My first response to this is that we already follow this policy. Have you ever exceeded the speed limit? Have you ever consumed an illegal substance? Have you ever fixed something in your home that requires a permit without obtaining one? The simple fact of the matter is that everyone violates the law, every day, consciously or not. My second response is to question whether or not this form of anarchy, where each individual is responsible for their own actions and communities are responsible for establishing and enforces their own standards of behavior through social pressure, is a bad thing at all. I don't believe it is.

js8 9y ago

> I think a problem with that mentality is that it's antidemocratic. It is only antidemocratic if you have democracy. Can you really put a question "should the scientific research be published for free" to a popular vote in your country?

spacemanmatt 9y ago

Have you met our national leadership lately? America is undemocratic.

LyndsySimon 9y ago

From the standpoint of American government it was never intended to be a democracy. "Democracy" was feared by the Founders, who saw it as mob rule. As for picking and choosing what laws one recognizes as legitimated, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr put it better than I can: > One may well ask: "How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?" The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all." --- > If other citizens were to also adopt that policy, we'd literally have anarchy. My first response to this is that we already follow this policy. Have you ever exceeded the speed limit? Have you ever consumed an illegal substance? Have you ever fixed something in your home that requires a permit without obtaining one? The simple fact of the matter is that everyone violates the law, every day, consciously or not. My second response is to question whether or not this form of anarchy, where each individual is responsible for their own actions and communities are responsible for establishing and enforces their own standards of behavior through social pressure, is a bad thing at all. I don't believe it is.