What issues do you think are most important
#43
Hi,

Nystul,Dec 13 2004, 11:10 AM Wrote:I don't think any level of education can eliminate the desire for power and the problems it causes.
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Oh, I quite agree with that part. And history shows us again and again that when a bright, charismatic, and power hungry leader appears on the scene war is often his (or 'her', though I cannot think of an example of 'her' at the moment) preferred means of achieving his goals. And war is often the only means of stopping such a leader -- or rather, the only means that does not involve waiting for his life to run out.

But, I contend that the more a population is educated, the less likely it is to have to resort to violence, the less likely it is to follow a violent leader, and if it does follow such a leader, the sooner it will be disillusioned and overthrow that leader.

The vision of armed and unarmed eggheads is amusing. However, I suspect that the division amongst the eggheads would favor the unarmed. As Foreigner said in a concert version of Hot Blooded, "We've got the amps, you've got the numbers. There's strength in numbers." The willingness to fight, as Gandhi and King showed, does not necessarily involves arms.

However, if your division was meant to be between those willing to fight and those not so willing, then you are right. That is well covered by Edmund Burke's dictum, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Again, though, I would like to point out that uneducated people, with no concepts of a better world, are much less likely to fight for such a world than are those who actually have the ability to imagine it.

--Pete

How big was the aquarium in Noah's ark?

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What issues do you think are most important - by --Pete - 12-14-2004, 07:57 PM

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