14+ able to vote

[Malchik]

The ideology of communism tempts some people and yet the ideology of capitalism per se sounds tempting too (sufficient flow of money through an economy that creates jobs for all and eliminates poverty etc.). Indeed many religious ideologies too SOUND good. The problem is that not one of them takes account of human nature. Some people do want to be adulated, some are greedy for wealth and power, some are lecherous, envious, murderous and so on. These characteristics are in our DNA and cannot be eliminated. They are no doubt changed and influenced during our up-bringing, and the extent to which we yield to them may well be restricted by social taboos enforced through laws, but they will not go away. In cases where the drives are overriding not even laws will help.

 

Therefore until we are all genetically modified it is no good looking to an ideology as a solution. (There is certainly enough recent history to underline that.)

 

Is democracy the ideal? I don't know. Why do we assume that human concepts of ideal government is a static thing? Perhaps we want demorcracy now but it would not have worked at other times in the UK's history, or elsewhere. It is a popular western fallacy to believe democracy is the best form of govenment. It is not. There are many societies and situations where it is a recipe for disaster. In time such societies may reach a point where democracy is right for them. But does this mean by then we will still consider democracy ideal? I cannot see how we can even guess. We are not fortune tellers. What is becoming increasingly clear is that democracy as currently practised is not democratic. Fundamentally democratic and capitalist ideologies are in direct conflict. The direction we will move in I cannot guess but something pan-global seems most probable.

 

Such ideologies as have been propounded up to now have all failed.

 

Darnoc, I do not know whether stability at any cost is an objective we should be aiming for. Perhaps it is but AT ANY COST bothers me. Who is deciding the rules and the laws? What if you don't agree?

 

Again, all these simplistic solutions sound fine on paper but do not take account of human beings.

 

It's about time we started to look at the future of the planet. At some point the international community will have to take on the USA about such problems as global warming. And maybe it will pass the point of jaw, jaw. Just because someone sets themselves up as a 'model' against which other nations should be measured does not mean they are not living in a dream. Forget that. Let's start to get some new ideas!

 

It will be the generation that currently includes most of this forum who will be carrying the planet forward. Strangely I believe the increasing scope and development in imagination that computers (and computer games too) can instil will generate the ideas we cannot yet see.

 

Don't look to the past for solutions, look for the new.