interesting thoughts... although you kind of dismiss the biz theory, i rather like the idea of managers as facilitators of talent rather than controllers of human resources. but that's just me.
organized religion fits the bill as an authoritarian means of control in which the participants are voluntary. you mention fear as a control device, art, but they thow guilt into the mix with great effect. i tend to think most religious systems use a blend of guilt and fear couched in a promise of something ever after to get their followers to do the "right thing." accumulation of knowledge and increasingly sophisticated systems of communication offer more choices than mystical answers, and we've all heard that science as religion line as much as we've heard the religion is a drug line.
but somewhere, some knowledge has to tell us what the right thing to do is. a judgement has to be made somewhere as to what direction society is going to put the effort for the greatest good.
the libertarian viewpoint of doing the right thing out of personal responsibility is based upon self reliance and self awareness. the authoritarian view posits you will do the right thing because the authorities know best.
my turn to pose a question: which is better, a widely educated populace or a highly educated few? and in consideration of this question, is knowledge a commodity or a currency and is the middle class the key to the market?
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Last edited by gibingus; 08-13-2004 at 03:56 PM..
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