This article makes some good points. A few criticisms:
1. Traditional societies weren’t completely equal. They had leaders but everyone knew the leader personally and he could be deposed at any time. The leader’s legitimacy depended primarily on the survival of the group rather than force. Of course, children were expected to obey their elders. The ideal structure for a particular organization depends on many factors, one of them being the organization’s purpose and the consequences of failure. The hunter gatherers’ ethos of caring for one’s neighbor is equally important as an organization’s structure. As society grows more complex expertise will likely become more important, which is why leaders need humanistic as well as technical training. I don’t think abolishing prisons and police is the answer, but I agree that we should emphasize crime prevention and rehabilitation when it does occur. As we solve problems and build community we can depend less on the law enforcement branch of government. Also, the government doesn’t always act in the interests of the wealthy. Truth and reconciliation commissions, civil rights laws, and reparations show that government does respond to the popular will which is something we can build upon. Some companies are experimenting with non-hierarchical organizational structures in an era where speed and flexibility is important.
2. The imperfection of human nature can be seen as an argument against the accumulation of wealth. America’s founder’s set up a system of checks and balances in the government because they knew that leaders themselves were not above human nature. I believe that we should apply the same principle to the economy. I agree with socialists that political democracy needs economic democracy and the commons.
This article makes some good points. A few criticisms:
1. Traditional societies weren’t completely equal. They had leaders but everyone knew the leader personally and he could be deposed at any time. The leader’s legitimacy depended primarily on the survival of the group rather than force. Of course, children were expected to obey their elders. The ideal structure for a particular organization depends on many factors, one of them being the organization’s purpose and the consequences of failure. The hunter gatherers’ ethos of caring for one’s neighbor is equally important as an organization’s structure. As society grows more complex expertise will likely become more important, which is why leaders need humanistic as well as technical training. I don’t think abolishing prisons and police is the answer, but I agree that we should emphasize crime prevention and rehabilitation when it does occur. As we solve problems and build community we can depend less on the law enforcement branch of government. Also, the government doesn’t always act in the interests of the wealthy. Truth and reconciliation commissions, civil rights laws, and reparations show that government does respond to the popular will which is something we can build upon. Some companies are experimenting with non-hierarchical organizational structures in an era where speed and flexibility is important.
2. The imperfection of human nature can be seen as an argument against the accumulation of wealth. America’s founder’s set up a system of checks and balances in the government because they knew that leaders themselves were not above human nature. I believe that we should apply the same principle to the economy. I agree with socialists that political democracy needs economic democracy and the commons.