NorthernGent
Posts: 8730
Joined: 7/10/2006 Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: Rover Simply that the actions of people (divorce, infidelity, relationships that come and go more regularly than Metamucil, etc.) are not consistent with a need for stability. If we accept the "actions speak louder than words" theory, which it seems we both do, then those actions are in stark contrast to some unmet need for stability. I don't think actions are in stark contrast to the need for stability, but I think we're discussuing this in more detail further down, so I'll leave it for there. quote:
ORIGINAL: Rover I don't think "organization" is the functional equivalent of "stability". True enough that some level of stability arises from organization, but I think that's a tangental coincidence. We have not always organized into families in the modern context, and there are those who view the high rates of infidelity and and divorce as evidence that this construct is unnatural. Work is organized for the purpose of efficiency... not to appeal to man's need for stability (though stable jobs may result). Religion has been the source of tens of millions of deaths over the centuries, and is the greatest source of instability in the world today. It may simply be a matter of viewing two sides of the same coin... I don't know. John I'd say organisation, with its inherent rules and regulating behaviour, is geared toward engendering a stable co-existence. Obviously, it's all very subjective, though. On your work comment, I was talking of the focus that work (macro sense) provides, rather than having a stable job (ie. the principle of work, rather than moving between jobs). Religion and government can get out of hand from time to time, but, when they do, the first thing we do is call for a curb on their activities in order to realise......stability....whether economic, political or social. The principles of toleration, limited monarchy and rule of law weren't ideas waiting to be discovered; they were a practical solution to the chaos and disorder of the day and, ultimately, a tool for achieving stability. In terms of family, well, I think time will tell on that one. I have a feeling that as divorce rates go up and society is increasingly deemed to be broken, there will be a clamour among intellectuals to reaffirm the values of family and marriage. We seem to have a habit of giving ourselves space, over-stepping the mark and then reining ourselves in. I can't believe that any generation of intellectuals will forgo order for anything, and if that means imposing the belief that family breakdown is to be feared, they'll find a way to do it.
_____________________________
I have the courage to be a coward - but not beyond my limits. Sooner or later, the man who wins is the man who thinks he can.
|