Discussion?

So apparently at least one person on the Web thinks my vision of what society could be totally will not work. They provided some points (numbered below). I now provide counterpoints.

1. People need leaders - nothing will be accomplished if someone is not in charge. There's a reason why an elected official's term is in years, not weeks. When a bunch of people are in charge over a short amount of time, it means no one is really in charge.

Rebuttal: Leaders tend to have grand visions (myself included). The problem with letting leaders stay in their positions of power over time is that they take their power for granted, and act more and more in their own interests, instead of for those they are leading. It's fine to have an idea, but collaboration is a key in my vision – not endless leading by one.

2. People are naturally selfish.

Rebuttal: I know that we all have basic survival instincts, which is where the selfishness bit comes in, but I'd like to think modern humans can mentally evolve beyond wanting more than they really need.

3. You can't accommodate everyone; that's why we have leaders who make tough decisions.

Rebuttal: They don't have to live here if they don't like the way things are run.

4. Entrepreneurs take more risk than the employees and therefore should be rewarded as such - if you don't think so, trying building a Ford Mustang without the plans or the means of building a factory or a supply chain system.

Rebuttal: I'm not saying that someone with a good idea shouldn't run with it. I'm not saying people shouldn't take risks, either – but there should be discussion first before one person leads a bunch down a potential path to disaster based on their idea. BTW, no cars in my society, including Mustangs.

5. Without a queen bee, a bee hive is just pure chaos

Rebuttal: Yeah, but that's a bee hive. Humans are a little more evolved than that, I'd like to think.

6. You would have referendums every 15 minutes and lawsuits every 5 minutes because some group would not be happy.

Rebuttal: Well, it'll keep the lawyers employed. :P

Ultimately, if one group doesn't want to live here because of one law, and it doesn't get overturned, they can leave. No reason they have to stay there if they aren't happy about something that seems that serious to them. I wouldn't want to live in a place where it is easy for any person to legally get a gun, for example, so I choose not to. And if you don't want to move into a place like this, then don't.

7. "Interests of the populace at large" is hard to define as a society becomes more diverse.

Rebuttal: So, what then? Should we all just have homogeneous neighbourhoods where everybody thinks the same?





8. Greed isn't always bad. A lot of innovation would be stifled if people weren't greedy. The underlying idea of the copyright/trademark/patent system is people are greedy. Does that mean greed is bad? Absolutely not. People use greed in the wrong ways. Capitalism isn't a bad system in and of itself. Greed and power are essential for business, but can be easily abused.

Rebuttal: I don't think greed or power are essential for business. The drive to help one's fellow citizen via your product or service should be the driving force behind a business, not the drive for more power. Innovation can be entirely independent of greed. I don't see the connection between the two. A person researches a cure for cancer not because they want to be seen as a god, or to corner the market on a new drug, but because they don't want people to die of cancer. It'd be a pharmacy run by corporate bigwigs that would want to maximize profits of the drug – and my society would not have them.

9. Your ideal society allows for no consideration of basic economic principles. Communism works in theory but fails in reality for good reason. Your system, while trying to promote the community, would just lead to anarchy in the long run.

Rebuttal: I have a new economic system in play, so that point is moot. Communism fails because leaders take over and shape the masses to their will. Anarchy (as in, every person for themself) will not happen in a world without long-lasting leaders. People will learn to share responsibilities in their groups, leading to harmony and humility. (Concordia et humilitatem)