![]() |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#17
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On Tuesday, March 5, 2019 at 8:11:44 AM UTC-7, Quadibloc wrote:
On Monday, March 4, 2019 at 4:07:24 PM UTC-7, Chris L Peterson wrote: Well, that demands a lot more space than is reasonable here. Look at the work of Wilkinson, Pickett, Stiglitz. The correlations between income, and especially wealth, inequality are strong and extend to virtually every social ill. (And it is seen over solid data extending back over 250 years.) At this point, I was going to reply that a correlation, without a causative mechanism, tends to be viewed as unsatisfying. But I see this was addressed. And there is a growing body of work by social scientists and economists explaining the causative factors. And it isn't being poor. Social problems are far more severe in rich nations with large inequality than in poor ones that are more egalitarian. That sounds kind of like the "envy" effect that John mentioned. In the end, it probably comes down to our sense of fairness, and our sense of common identity. When disparities grow too large, we end up with class struggles and a society with subcultures where there is no common identity. Here, though, I would suggest that cause and effect are reversed. A country like Sweden can have a very robust social safety net, because, until quite recently, just about everyone there was a Swede. There wasn't some large group of people in the country who were despised for being lazy, for not having paid attention in school, and expecting the same rewards as those who are diligent. People will share with their brothers, but not with foreigners. And thus the contention of Libertarians that the Right and the Left are both the same thing, since both lead the way to more government control ... among many other things. People have an idea of fairness that includes equality - but it also includes equality of effort. When you have diversity in a society, things break down. John Savard So diversity isn't the great thing it's cracked up to be? I guess not when the diversity is in degree of effort. "By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually get to be boss and work twelve hours a day."Â*-- Robert Frost “I am a great believer in luck. And I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” -- Stephen Leacock “Socialism never took root in America because the poor there see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.” – John Steinbeck I guess we don't think that way any more :-( |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
![]() |
||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
space video gateway | cole smith | Space Station | 0 | July 16th 06 04:37 PM |
Smart1 at gateway | Ray Vingnutte | Misc | 8 | November 17th 04 01:56 PM |
Gateway-Test-02-25a (ignore) | Don Wells | FITS | 4 | March 15th 04 04:39 PM |
Canada Joins NASA 2007 Mission to Mars/York U. celebrates "Phoenix"Mars Mission Win (Forwarded) | Andrew Yee | Astronomy Misc | 0 | August 7th 03 06:57 AM |