Posted in seeker, tagged leveler, religion on February 12, 2008 | 33 Comments »
I choose to be a spiritual slave. If I choose to be a spiritual master, I choose to separate myself from the people. So I choose to be a friend.
Every good tradition warns us about people who want to profit from our need to know:
Judaism: “Whoever derives a profit for himself from the words of [...]
Posted in seeker, tagged jubilee, leveler on December 1, 2007 | 35 Comments »
Because I believe in the wisdom of the people (whose hearts are good even when they’re kept in ignorance by their rulers), I’m offering this question to you: What should I do to make the world a better place?
I’m looking for something that does not involve giving money. Emma and I are living comfortably, but [...]
Posted in seeker, tagged jubilee, leveler on October 20, 2007 | 64 Comments »
Suppose we said tomorrow, “All debts are forgiven. Whatever you live in now is yours. If you’re homeless, you’re welcome to one of the homes that are unoccupied now.”
No Jew or Christian could oppose that. Though religious leaders ignore it, the Bible calls for debt forgiveness every seven years (the sabbatical year, or shmita). It [...]
Posted in seeker, tagged leveler, wealth on October 19, 2007 | 7 Comments »
ndkid asks,
One of the greatest problems I tend to have in wrapping my head around the concepts of communism, social justice, et al: the definition of “equality”. It’s a term that gets bandied about in what are patently unscientific ways.Directly pertinent versions of my problem that I’m hoping you can help me with: given “From [...]
Posted in seeker, tagged leveler, wealth on October 18, 2007 | 33 Comments »
The mysteries of wealth creation. It starts:
The world makes no sense. More wealth is produced every year than each preceding year. More goods exist on the planet now than ever before. Bewildering new technologies such as iPhones and Newtons, along with the most advanced medicines, the most sophisticated forms of transport, cheaper and cheaper forms [...]
Posted in seeker, tagged leveler, median way, taxes on October 12, 2007 | 52 Comments »
The primary reason I rejected Marxism as a practical ideology was the birth of my children. I wanted them to go to the best schools, have opportunities for travel and lessons and to be surrounded by books.
Then build a society that gives everyone those things, and your children will have them too. Some parents want [...]
Posted in seeker, tagged leveler, median way on October 11, 2007 | 67 Comments »
Ideology shapes assumptions. Most of the following questions and comments croggled me, but they seem to be sincere, so:
What happens after you equalize? Won’t the system just end up destabilizing, and we’ll be back where we started after, oh, a century or so of commerce?
Equalization is an on-going process. The challenge is to find a [...]
Posted in seeker, tagged leveler, median way, taxes on October 10, 2007 | 33 Comments »
Who are the rich?
From here: The top .7% of the world’s households own a third of the world’s wealth, the top 1% own 40%, the top 2% own 50%, the top 10% own 85%.
New Scientist refers to “the super-wealthy - about 3 per cent of the population.” If you want to think in Marxist terms, [...]
Posted in seeker, tagged leveler on October 10, 2007 | 92 Comments »
Kurt Vonnegut’s most foolish or most dishonest story may be “Harrison Bergeron”. It’s about an ostensibly radical egalitarian society in which a Handicapper General handicaps people whose abilities are in any way better than anyone else’s. The specific target of Vonnegut’s satire may be clear in the identity of the Handicapper General, a woman. In [...]
Posted in seeker, tagged leveler, share the wealth on October 8, 2007 | 17 Comments »
Yesterday, I read Rape Epidemic Raises Trauma of Congo War. It made me want to despair. And then I went onto the roof and began painting, putting down a new surface to protect the old. As I painted, I realized we have one reason for hope, however small. This is a new phenomenon: “The epidemic [...]
