An Ideal Society
I consider myself in a transitive stage of life - in music and philosophy, but relevantly, in politics. So I found this quiz, and I'm going to fill it out and then, in time, when I've had time to think about all that which confounds me, and possibly have reached some conclusions I'm happy with, I'll look back on it, and say to myself, "Christ, I'm a right gom, aren't I?"
All ye are only too welcome to fill it in and post it, but I don't think any of you are particularly politically-minded.
Equally welcome - nay, more welcome - are disagreements you have with my answers that you want to discuss.
Lets say that a large tropical island (about the size of Cuba) formed overnight in the middle of international waters. You were the first person there and you claimed it as your own. Your claim is uncontested, so now you have your very own country that is completely independent from any government. At this time you are the only person who lives on the island, but many people want to move there because it is a tropical paradise. You now have the opportunity to establish your own set of laws prior to anyone immigrating to your new country. Assuming you WANT people to EVENTUALLY move to your island nation - what laws would you establish and why? For example:
1. What would you make the legal drinking age? It's to an extent arbitrary - but I think 17 or 18. 18, to err on the side of maturity.
2. Driving age? 18. Again, because it's arbitrary, it makes sense to have all these things put at the same age. If you put the drinking age at 18, and the driving age at 17, you have to give a reason why. Putting them at the same age is less controversial.
3. Age of sexual consent? 18. Same reason.
4. Voting age? 18.
5. At what age would someone become an adult (free from parental control)? 18.
6. What types of recreational drugs (if any) would be legal?
1. Pot Yea.
2. Tobacco Yea.
3. Cocaine Nay.
4. Alcohol Yea.
5. LSD Nay.
6. Caffeine Yea.
7. Heroin Nay.
8. Other? I might be persuaded to legalise magic mushrooms. The standardness of my decisions on the legality of various drugs betrays my ignorance of their effects. Some drugs are absolutely dangerous, and should be very strictly monitored; others are obviously not. I think I'd probably make cannabis possession for personal use legal, but make possession of large, commercial quantities illegal. It's not legal/illegal, but more complex. If I did make cannabis possession illegal, it certainly wouldn't be a jailing offence. And all drugs would certainly be legal if for medicinal purposes.
7. Can people have guns? (if so - who and what kind?) Generally, no, but I might make allowances for farmers and shotguns.
8. What would be the name of your country? Ho, what a witty name you chose for your country, James! Care to repeat it? -Nope.
9. Would you have the death penalty? No. But I find it a complicated issue to tackle. One not only has to ask, "should person x die?" but also, "should the state have the authority to kill person x?" It leaves large scope for irrevocable injustice, but then, so does any punishment. Death may even be a kinder punishment than life-long imprisonment, and, in the long run, will be a lot easier for the criminal's families.
10. What would be the speed limit? 50km/h in towns and country backroads, 60 in certain outskirts, 80 in larger roads, 100/120 in still larger roads, and I would, if I could, have some roads without speed limits.
11. What types of religions would be permitted or restricted? All permitted, but they would not be allowed actively encourage homophobia etc. I would give them freedom of speech, certainly, but within reason. "Kill the faggots!" preached to people listening would get the offender jailed.
12. Which of the following would be legal:
Porn? Yes; but strictly regulated. Safe sex would be mandatory, as would the models'/actors' written agreement to partake. And so on.
13. Prostitution? Same: legal but heavily regulated.
14. Polygamy? I see no inherent wrong in polygamy, but if the moral zeitgeist became, in the unpredictable ways moral zeitgeists can become, abhorrent, for one isolated person to commit polygamy would cause all his or her spouses a lot of distress; perhaps more than they would admit to. I'm not sure if it'd be illegal, on those grounds, but I would consider it.
15. Homosexuality? Utterly legal.
16. Stem cell research? On adult stem cells, absolutely; on foetal stem cells, it depends on rights.
17. Human Cloning? I don't know.
18. Cock Fighting? Illegal.
19. Slavery? Illegal.
20. Hunting? Legal, but regulated.
21. Fishing? Legal, but regulated.
22. Eating meat? Tough one: vegetarian diets upset some people's digestive systems. I think I should legalise regulated and humane meat producing; that is, no factory farming, and free range everythings. Imported meat, factory farmed, shall be illegal. I don't think killing animals is immoral - if done quickly and painlessly on the animal's part, I have no qualms. What is wrong is mistreating animals.
23. Littering? Illegal - but with a moderate punishment of having to pick it up again, and a small fine. Littering creating excessive paperwork is an unpleasant irony.
24. Unisex bathrooms? Legal.
25. Suicide? Uh... what's the punishment? I can't see why you would prohibit it, unless the victim has dependants under his or her care - but if the person is suicidal, how much can they be trusted to look after their dependants?
26. Gay marriage? Gay marriage implies that the couple can adopt children - more research needs to be done into that social experiment before it can be legalised. But I would create a civil union with all the relevant benefits marriage gives, without allowing the adoption of children until more research is done.
27. Abortion? It's so complex... I may make another post on this. My intuition: abortion should be legal within the first few weeks only.
28. What types of sexual activity (if any) would be illegal? Rape, obviously. Paedophilia, just as much. Bestiality when any harm is done to the animal. Various sexual indiscretions: frotteurism, kissing strangers, etc.
29. Would your county be clothing optional or clothing mandatory? Optional, definitely. Nudists get tax benefits. I love the idea of nakedness. It's very healthy.
30. Would you have obscenity laws? If so - how would you define “obscene”? Um... I'm not quite sure what that entails. A brief perusal of Wikipedia only suggests that I'm not alone in that. So, very perliminarily, no.
31. What system would you set up for collecting taxes?
1. Income tax? (how much?) Enough to pay for universal health, education, policing, justice, the regulation of various bodies/activities (such as hunting and meat production, mentioned above), roadworks, arts and business grants, moderate pensions, well-paid and extended maternity leave, charity organisations, public transport and so on. I know there are things typically taxed that I wouldn't tax, but I don't know what they are offhand.
2. Sales tax? (how much?) Yes; I don't know how much. I would try to tax relevantly, but I am ignorant to the matter.
3. Import/Export tax? (how much?) Import tax: if there is a product imported that does not adhere to my country's ethical standards (i.e. the workers aren't paid minimum wage), then I tax the difference, so that anyone buying that product when an ethically-produced product is also available will save no money. I don't know anything about any other aspects of import/export tax.
32. What criteria would someone need to pass to become a citizen? Birth is certainly one. Living here for so long, or having a citizen spouse for so long... I'm not sure.
33. What types of people would you allow (or not allow) into your country? I would try and have an efficient asylum seeking system. I would be quite relaxed about immigration - multiculturalism isn't for anyone, but for a new country, it seems the best way.
34. What type of government would you establish? Limited democracy. People with a PhD in politics get 15 votes; illiterates get 1; people with a University education in a subject unrelated to government-running get 7; and so on in some manner that is well thought-out.
35. To what degree would your government be allowed to censor or restrict the media? No censorship whatsoever in peacetime. In war... then, maybe, unity takes precedence over individual expression. No free speech of people espousing the ideology we're fighting against. But this can apply to big wars readily enough. I can understand Britain prohibiting Fascist propoganda. What I would condone less readily is America quelling anti-war portests in the Vietnam or Iraq wars.
36. Aside from laws - what sort of unofficial (and unenforced) cultural rules and traditions would you like to establish? For example - taking shoes off before entering someone’s home, or not eating with the left hand. I shall let those arbitrary customs take their own shape. I would like to encourage scientific and philosophical thinking; understanding of the importance of society; importantly: being a hero and standing out against evil... nothing else comes to mind.
Would you trust me in power? I'm far too easily-swayed in my opinons to be a politician. I'd make a better scientist.
-James
All ye are only too welcome to fill it in and post it, but I don't think any of you are particularly politically-minded.
Equally welcome - nay, more welcome - are disagreements you have with my answers that you want to discuss.
Lets say that a large tropical island (about the size of Cuba) formed overnight in the middle of international waters. You were the first person there and you claimed it as your own. Your claim is uncontested, so now you have your very own country that is completely independent from any government. At this time you are the only person who lives on the island, but many people want to move there because it is a tropical paradise. You now have the opportunity to establish your own set of laws prior to anyone immigrating to your new country. Assuming you WANT people to EVENTUALLY move to your island nation - what laws would you establish and why? For example:
1. What would you make the legal drinking age? It's to an extent arbitrary - but I think 17 or 18. 18, to err on the side of maturity.
2. Driving age? 18. Again, because it's arbitrary, it makes sense to have all these things put at the same age. If you put the drinking age at 18, and the driving age at 17, you have to give a reason why. Putting them at the same age is less controversial.
3. Age of sexual consent? 18. Same reason.
4. Voting age? 18.
5. At what age would someone become an adult (free from parental control)? 18.
6. What types of recreational drugs (if any) would be legal?
1. Pot Yea.
2. Tobacco Yea.
3. Cocaine Nay.
4. Alcohol Yea.
5. LSD Nay.
6. Caffeine Yea.
7. Heroin Nay.
8. Other? I might be persuaded to legalise magic mushrooms. The standardness of my decisions on the legality of various drugs betrays my ignorance of their effects. Some drugs are absolutely dangerous, and should be very strictly monitored; others are obviously not. I think I'd probably make cannabis possession for personal use legal, but make possession of large, commercial quantities illegal. It's not legal/illegal, but more complex. If I did make cannabis possession illegal, it certainly wouldn't be a jailing offence. And all drugs would certainly be legal if for medicinal purposes.
7. Can people have guns? (if so - who and what kind?) Generally, no, but I might make allowances for farmers and shotguns.
8. What would be the name of your country? Ho, what a witty name you chose for your country, James! Care to repeat it? -Nope.
9. Would you have the death penalty? No. But I find it a complicated issue to tackle. One not only has to ask, "should person x die?" but also, "should the state have the authority to kill person x?" It leaves large scope for irrevocable injustice, but then, so does any punishment. Death may even be a kinder punishment than life-long imprisonment, and, in the long run, will be a lot easier for the criminal's families.
10. What would be the speed limit? 50km/h in towns and country backroads, 60 in certain outskirts, 80 in larger roads, 100/120 in still larger roads, and I would, if I could, have some roads without speed limits.
11. What types of religions would be permitted or restricted? All permitted, but they would not be allowed actively encourage homophobia etc. I would give them freedom of speech, certainly, but within reason. "Kill the faggots!" preached to people listening would get the offender jailed.
12. Which of the following would be legal:
Porn? Yes; but strictly regulated. Safe sex would be mandatory, as would the models'/actors' written agreement to partake. And so on.
13. Prostitution? Same: legal but heavily regulated.
14. Polygamy? I see no inherent wrong in polygamy, but if the moral zeitgeist became, in the unpredictable ways moral zeitgeists can become, abhorrent, for one isolated person to commit polygamy would cause all his or her spouses a lot of distress; perhaps more than they would admit to. I'm not sure if it'd be illegal, on those grounds, but I would consider it.
15. Homosexuality? Utterly legal.
16. Stem cell research? On adult stem cells, absolutely; on foetal stem cells, it depends on rights.
17. Human Cloning? I don't know.
18. Cock Fighting? Illegal.
19. Slavery? Illegal.
20. Hunting? Legal, but regulated.
21. Fishing? Legal, but regulated.
22. Eating meat? Tough one: vegetarian diets upset some people's digestive systems. I think I should legalise regulated and humane meat producing; that is, no factory farming, and free range everythings. Imported meat, factory farmed, shall be illegal. I don't think killing animals is immoral - if done quickly and painlessly on the animal's part, I have no qualms. What is wrong is mistreating animals.
23. Littering? Illegal - but with a moderate punishment of having to pick it up again, and a small fine. Littering creating excessive paperwork is an unpleasant irony.
24. Unisex bathrooms? Legal.
25. Suicide? Uh... what's the punishment? I can't see why you would prohibit it, unless the victim has dependants under his or her care - but if the person is suicidal, how much can they be trusted to look after their dependants?
26. Gay marriage? Gay marriage implies that the couple can adopt children - more research needs to be done into that social experiment before it can be legalised. But I would create a civil union with all the relevant benefits marriage gives, without allowing the adoption of children until more research is done.
27. Abortion? It's so complex... I may make another post on this. My intuition: abortion should be legal within the first few weeks only.
28. What types of sexual activity (if any) would be illegal? Rape, obviously. Paedophilia, just as much. Bestiality when any harm is done to the animal. Various sexual indiscretions: frotteurism, kissing strangers, etc.
29. Would your county be clothing optional or clothing mandatory? Optional, definitely. Nudists get tax benefits. I love the idea of nakedness. It's very healthy.
30. Would you have obscenity laws? If so - how would you define “obscene”? Um... I'm not quite sure what that entails. A brief perusal of Wikipedia only suggests that I'm not alone in that. So, very perliminarily, no.
31. What system would you set up for collecting taxes?
1. Income tax? (how much?) Enough to pay for universal health, education, policing, justice, the regulation of various bodies/activities (such as hunting and meat production, mentioned above), roadworks, arts and business grants, moderate pensions, well-paid and extended maternity leave, charity organisations, public transport and so on. I know there are things typically taxed that I wouldn't tax, but I don't know what they are offhand.
2. Sales tax? (how much?) Yes; I don't know how much. I would try to tax relevantly, but I am ignorant to the matter.
3. Import/Export tax? (how much?) Import tax: if there is a product imported that does not adhere to my country's ethical standards (i.e. the workers aren't paid minimum wage), then I tax the difference, so that anyone buying that product when an ethically-produced product is also available will save no money. I don't know anything about any other aspects of import/export tax.
32. What criteria would someone need to pass to become a citizen? Birth is certainly one. Living here for so long, or having a citizen spouse for so long... I'm not sure.
33. What types of people would you allow (or not allow) into your country? I would try and have an efficient asylum seeking system. I would be quite relaxed about immigration - multiculturalism isn't for anyone, but for a new country, it seems the best way.
34. What type of government would you establish? Limited democracy. People with a PhD in politics get 15 votes; illiterates get 1; people with a University education in a subject unrelated to government-running get 7; and so on in some manner that is well thought-out.
35. To what degree would your government be allowed to censor or restrict the media? No censorship whatsoever in peacetime. In war... then, maybe, unity takes precedence over individual expression. No free speech of people espousing the ideology we're fighting against. But this can apply to big wars readily enough. I can understand Britain prohibiting Fascist propoganda. What I would condone less readily is America quelling anti-war portests in the Vietnam or Iraq wars.
36. Aside from laws - what sort of unofficial (and unenforced) cultural rules and traditions would you like to establish? For example - taking shoes off before entering someone’s home, or not eating with the left hand. I shall let those arbitrary customs take their own shape. I would like to encourage scientific and philosophical thinking; understanding of the importance of society; importantly: being a hero and standing out against evil... nothing else comes to mind.
Would you trust me in power? I'm far too easily-swayed in my opinons to be a politician. I'd make a better scientist.
-James