Freedom is interactive. There is an investment made by the free individual. He must have some socially agreed upon limits of his behavior and a reciprocal responsibility. Freedom does not mean license. The Greeks thought that compact with the polis had to be taught.
Our dog got out of the back yard last week. he wandered about, found a few interesting yards, dodged traffic, chased a squirrel and then followed a total stranger home.
Our dog got out of the back yard last week. he wandered about, found a few interesting yards, dodged traffic, chased a squirrel and then followed a total stranger home.
The dog is charming and beautiful but he is too dumb to be free.
And this is the great problem that all democracies face. In this particular instance, it is seen in the viability of the Second Amendment: It declares a very dangerous right. A right that one might think some are too dumb to have. Or too crazy. And this, of course, dances around the primary question of all democracies, The Problem That Must Not Be Named. Are some more equal than others? Are some too dumb for some rights? Are some too dumb to vote? Do some, because of some deficit, have more rights?
This is a very dangerous area. And it should be explored with both caution and humility. Of course, when you think you have all the world's many answers, there is no room for caution and humility. They just get necessarily crowded out.
And this is the great problem that all democracies face. In this particular instance, it is seen in the viability of the Second Amendment: It declares a very dangerous right. A right that one might think some are too dumb to have. Or too crazy. And this, of course, dances around the primary question of all democracies, The Problem That Must Not Be Named. Are some more equal than others? Are some too dumb for some rights? Are some too dumb to vote? Do some, because of some deficit, have more rights?
This is a very dangerous area. And it should be explored with both caution and humility. Of course, when you think you have all the world's many answers, there is no room for caution and humility. They just get necessarily crowded out.
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