> Modern society says that as long as your actions don't harm me, you should be able to do what you wish. No, modern law may strive for this ideal, but society

> Modern society says that as long as your actions don't harm me, you should be able to do what you wish. No, modern law may strive for this ideal, but society doesn't. Society itself has a social aspect that goes beyond some modern liberalistic ideal. Since people are social and tribal, society will always have standards by which we live by. For example, people walking down the street naked will always be interpreted as crazy, regardless of any harm committed against other people. > Progress is made through instability. This depends entirely upon your definition of "progress." I personally don't think of the complete degradation of social standards as a good thing. > You also assume that stability doesn't harm people. It clearly does. Real life has winners and losers. Life is a system of inputs and outputs, and social pressure guides people into frameworks that lead to productive behavior in our society. Can they be taken too far? Sure. That, however, does not mean that _all_ social pressures are bad. For example, if a person is shamed for constant novelty-seeking through drinking, partying, and obnoxious behavior, a sense of shame may guide them into a mindset that allows for longer-term planning and goal seeking instead.