"What if I suddenly end up in a disadvantaged portion of society?"
I would quickly escape and travel the world.
Deliberately obtuse or really incapable of thought experiments? Never quite sure with Scott!
Ok, so let's say I lose my job and can't get a new one. Now I can't pay the bills. I can't pay rent. I'm suddenly homeless. And let's say no friends or family or anyone can help me. I have a computer, therefore I can always get money. Even if my computer breaks, I can use computers at the public library. I can even resort to shady means if necessary. I can eventually get enough money to fly to Europe or some such, and backpack around. Working just enough to get food, shelter, and showers wherever I go. The hobo life. Not so bad.
"What if I suddenly end up in a disadvantaged portion of society?"
I would quickly escape and travel the world.
Deliberately obtuse or really incapable of thought experiments? Never quite sure with Scott!
Ok, so let's say I lose my job and can't get a new one. Now I can't pay the bills. I can't pay rent. I'm suddenly homeless. And let's say no friends or family or anyone can help me. I have a computer, therefore I can always get money. Even if my computer breaks, I can use computers at the public library. I can even resort to shady means if necessary. I can eventually get enough money to fly to Europe or some such, and backpack around. Working just enough to get food, shelter, and showers wherever I go. The hobo life. Not so bad.
Sigh.
The point of the thought experiment is to stop stupid comments like this. Let me explain again, in clearer terms. Design a new society, and you must be happy to live in it. As in, you will wake up, and not know who you will be in this new society. Eg.
Are you male or female? You don't know. Are you black or white or hispanic or any other? Are you foriegn? Are you even a citizen? Are you five years old or 30 or 40 or 70? Are you clever or stupid? Do you have a good education or a bad education or no education? Do you have any useful skills? Do you have any skills at all? Are you intelligent? Are you clever? Are you disabled? Are you blind? Are you mentally ill? Are you senile? Are you famous or unknown?
Importantly for you: Do you have a computer? Do you know how to use one? Do you know how to use the internet? Do you even know how helpful the internet is? Do you even know the internet exists?
Lessons which you may or may not learn from this: * It might be good to have a society in which we help disadvantaged people use computers and the internet, rather than saying "Well *I* have these skills, and so should everyone else, so it is there problem not mine! I'll be fine!" * For those people incapable or unwilling to "have a computer, therefore can always get money", it might be good to support them in other ways.
What I get out of this is that we should always help the most disadvantaged people as much as we can. For me, there's no excuse not to.
Err Scott have you ever tried any of this? You guys talk about how the 'Hobo' life isn't to bad. Would strongly disagree with your assumption that its not that bad. Have you ever had to do serious backpacking with out any support? Its really hard, trust me its not easy in the slightest. (|Dam Luke beating me to it) With reguards to the idea of socity if you were one of those people that didn't agree then leave, you just don't get any of the cool things that the state would give you. It was only if you damaged such a thing then you would be forced to work.
Comments
The point of the thought experiment is to stop stupid comments like this. Let me explain again, in clearer terms. Design a new society, and you must be happy to live in it. As in, you will wake up, and not know who you will be in this new society. Eg.
Are you male or female? You don't know.
Are you black or white or hispanic or any other? Are you foriegn? Are you even a citizen?
Are you five years old or 30 or 40 or 70?
Are you clever or stupid?
Do you have a good education or a bad education or no education?
Do you have any useful skills? Do you have any skills at all?
Are you intelligent? Are you clever?
Are you disabled? Are you blind? Are you mentally ill? Are you senile?
Are you famous or unknown?
Importantly for you: Do you have a computer? Do you know how to use one? Do you know how to use the internet? Do you even know how helpful the internet is? Do you even know the internet exists?
Lessons which you may or may not learn from this:
* It might be good to have a society in which we help disadvantaged people use computers and the internet, rather than saying "Well *I* have these skills, and so should everyone else, so it is there problem not mine! I'll be fine!"
* For those people incapable or unwilling to "have a computer, therefore can always get money", it might be good to support them in other ways.
What I get out of this is that we should always help the most disadvantaged people as much as we can. For me, there's no excuse not to.
(|Dam Luke beating me to it)
With reguards to the idea of socity if you were one of those people that didn't agree then leave, you just don't get any of the cool things that the state would give you. It was only if you damaged such a thing then you would be forced to work.