Date: 2024-12-21 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00021137
Quotes
C.S. Lewis
On Tyranny
Burgess COMMENTARY
At some level I agree with C.S. Lewis on this, but it should not serve to excuse bad behavior. Some will argue that bad behavior cannot be defined, and nobody has a right to define what is bad behavior ... and while much of this argument may have the semblance of sound logic, it is no foundation for a sound society. This is not a new philosophical problem. It goes back thousands of years and is as important now as it ever was. Modern democracy aims to respect the will of the people ... but what actually is the will of the people. It cannot be defined with mathematical precision, but is very fuzzy at best and to quite a large extent may include ideas that are fundamentally undemocratic. As a child my parents seemed to be very clear about what was good and acceptable behavior and what was bad and unacceptable. This foundation still works as an adult at the indidual level ... but is not intellectually satisfying and impossible to replicate universally. What a pity!
Peter Burgess