[extropy-chat] A view of what politics is.

[Dirk Bruere]

On 10/11/05, Jef Allbright <jef at jefallbright.net> wrote:
>
> Why should politics be limited to issues of scarcity?
>
> Of course, all actions are considered and taken within a context of
> constraints such as time, energy, materials, knowledge, but I don't think
> you meant such constraints when you specified scarcity.
>
> Isn't it appropriately called political action when working together to
> promote development toward increasing abundance...even after basic needs
> have been met within a given context? [please, no red-herrings about how
> much of the world is lacking in the basics. True, but a different argument.]
>
> I understand the 20th century perception of politics typically having to
> do with power, authority, government, and sure, competition for scarce
> resources--all zero-sum views--but can't we see beyond to a more general
> concept encompassing the current popular understanding but accomodating--or
> rather, encouraging--positive-sum growth?
>
> I suspect that the seeds of an effective politics for the 21st century
> involves implementing principles of effective interaction to achieve growth
> (of what works over increasing scope, relative to human goals of increasing
> scope) given any baseline of relative scarcity or abundance.
>
> Yesterday I suggest a definition of politics as social decision-making
> applied to groups, expecially with respect to methods of influence within
> those processes.
>
> Comments?
>

Politics arises from a conflict of interests, perceptions, opinions, data
etc

Dirk
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