Friday, June 30, 2006
The triumph of persuasion over force
In a 1992 essay titled Persuasion vs. Force, Mark Skousen quotes from an older essay by A. Whitehead, "From Force to Persuasion"
"Now the intercourse between individuals and between social groups takes one of these two forms: force or persuasion. Commerce is the great example of intercourse by way of persuasion. War, slavery, and governmental compulsion exemplify the reign of force."
And draws from that his 'new political creed':
The triumph of persuasion over force is the sign of a civilized society. ¶ 1:07 PM
"Now the intercourse between individuals and between social groups takes one of these two forms: force or persuasion. Commerce is the great example of intercourse by way of persuasion. War, slavery, and governmental compulsion exemplify the reign of force."
And draws from that his 'new political creed':
The triumph of persuasion over force is the sign of a civilized society. ¶ 1:07 PM
Comments:
Links to this post:
<< Home
My favorite line from that essay:
"Taxation is the price we pay for failing to build a civilized society." (turning Oliver Wendell Holmes on his head)
Post a Comment
"Taxation is the price we pay for failing to build a civilized society." (turning Oliver Wendell Holmes on his head)
Links to this post:
<< Home
