Sometimes falsehoods and myths that are "common wisdom" can survive
indefinately simply because the prospect of exposing them is itself
rendered daunting or awkward by a taboo. An indefensible mutual
presumption can be kept aloft for years or even centuries because each
person assumes that somebody else has some very good reasons for
maintaining it, and nobody dares to challenge it. --Danial Dennett

Spinoza on Politics

...The last end of the state is not to dominate men, nor to restrain
them by fear; rather it is so to free each man from fear that he may
live and act with full security and without injury to himself or his
neighbor. The end of the state, I repeat, is not to make rational
beings into brute beasts and machines. It is to enable their bodies
and their minds to function safely. It is to lead men to live by, and
to exercise, a free reason; that they may not waste their strength in
hatred, anger and guile, nor act unfairly toward one another. Thus the
end of the state is really liberty.

Freedom is the goal of the state because the function of the state is
to promote growth, and growth depends on capacity finding freedom. But
what if laws stifle growth and freedom? What shall a man do...

Excellent contribution [ as always :-) ] thx

All seems self-evident, though unfortunately that is not the case today in
so many spheres of endeavour. But, things change, albeit slowly.

"Immortalist" yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:0d362431-4acf-42f7-9924-aed5697b19b2@n33g2000pri.googlegroups.com...
Sometimes falsehoods and myths that are "common wisdom" can survive
indefinately simply because the prospect of exposing them is itself
rendered daunting or awkward by a taboo. An indefensible mutual
presumption can be kept aloft for years or even centuries because each
person assumes that somebody else has some very good reasons for
maintaining it, and nobody dares to challenge it. --Danial Dennett

Spinoza on Politics

On Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:54:14 -0700, Immortalist wrote:

An Orthodox American may not agree here.

Their position might be:

Men will lead themselves to reason with no help from the state, thanks
anyway. The state is one product of that reason.

The end of the state is not liberty. Liberty is a human property at
birth. A right of birth. The prime directive to the state is non-
interference. To this end government is formed.

The one and only function of the state is to do the bidding of the
governed as the governed think best. It is not freedom, liberty or any
other thing than this.

On Sep 12, 6:59 am, ZerkonX X.net> wrote:

A well practiced story becomes part of the reality of the fantasy folk.
The contention that humans perceive reality is a category error.
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On Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:54:14 -0700 (PDT), Immortalist
yahoo.com> wrote:

Hubris is also a strong motivator for this fantasy.