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| quote: | Originally posted by St_Andrew
please explain that potential darkside a bit more....
regardless of peoples congenital skills (whatever it is richness, smartness, consentrationness (new word?  ) etc) they should have the same right to basic services in society. as i see it it is an individual right to have as good health care etc as the rich persons. All systems but welfare systems is violating your right as a human. It's not like everyone get the perfect life without doing anything, it's just about the basic stuff. |
I don't buy into the "right to healthcare" that you're talking about. I dont see anyone arguing the "right to equal car insurance". Why is it someone else's responsibility, or moral duty to ensure that some other complete stranger makes the right decisions to take care of themselves. Bad things happen to good people all the time, but why does that make it the moral obligation of society to pick up the tab and make sure that person has health insurance. Since when is my life someone else's responsibility. I think there's a huge difference between same "rights" to basic services vs. same opportunity to access basic services. Again, I just don't buy the argument that the ends justify the means. If you break altruism down to the very core it basically says that it is a person's moral duty to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of someone else, but that it's wrong to ask someone else to sacrifice themselves for your benefit. It simply doesn't make sense. It is a philosohpy that dictates my death for the life of another with it not being my decision to make.
I don't have a problem with charity or sharing, per se, however it is wrong for one person to give something to another if the cost is detrimental to the giver. I need to reference my philosophy books for better explanation, but at the core I simply can't allow myself to sell out. My goal while I am on this Earth is to do the best I possibly can and to be the best I can possibly be. The better I do for myself, the more likely the better those around me will be. Being the best I can be will make me the most productive, satisfied person I can possibly be. I alone am ultimately responsible for my own happiness and that is why I must live to be the best that I can be, for me.
This is too much of a rant than a well thought out response. I need to get some old thoughts together and organize it to give you a more thorough philosophical/political response.
Oh, and Brave New World is a book by Aldous Huxley in the early 1900's that visualizes a futuristic utopia. It's amazing how many of his 'predictions' are very visible in our societies today. It also does a good job of pointing out a lot of the dark side to the utopian society. I think it's a bit like 1984 in a way, though I really haven't given 1984 a good read. Huxley's book is very short and an easy read, and is often referenced in movies if you catch the references. If you already knew this, then ignore my commentary--I couldn't tell from your remark whether or not you were familliar with the book. Give it a read if you haven't heard of it before. It's very different and very insightful.
Last edited by Shakka on Nov-05-2003 at 19:58
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