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Stage 5 is when you realize that all political/ethical arguments are variants of the Trolley Problem and highly dependent on non-falsifiable axioms. In other wo
by GMoromisato 2y ago
Stage 5 is when you realize that all political/ethical arguments are variants of the Trolley Problem and highly dependent on non-falsifiable axioms. In other words, there is no Objectively Correct answer to any political/ethical argument.
I think the biggest fallacy is the idea that (a) there exists an Objectively Correct political position, and (b) my opponents would accept that position if only they weren't stupid or corrupt.
The genius of democracy is that it acknowledges this, and that the only way to decide is for everyone to vote their preference.
The challenge of democracy, of course, is that it works best when people are roughly equal in terms of knowledge, wealth, and culture. The more homogenous a society is, the more likely it is to choose policies that benefit all. But splintered societies lead to zero-sum, winner-take-all conflicts.
- Jensson 2y agoWhich is why you shouldn't have so big countries, smaller countries is better for democracy. All tries to consolidate power and countries are undemocratic.
- GMoromisato 2y agoYes. But some large countries are homogenous enough to be fine. The US, for all its flaws and divisions, is arguably homogenous enough to stay together (though I guess we'll see what the next 50 years bring). China and India (modulo their regional minorities) are homogenous enough to stay together. Another option is to have multiple levels of government where many important decisions are local but others are made at a higher level. The EU is a great example of this (modulo Brexit).
- nine_k 2y agoBut small countries have a hard time withstanding attacks of big undemocratic countries. Hence treaties and federations.