Like if "society" decided that a certain ethnic minority needed to be exterminated in order to achieve "public safety"?
Yes like that. By the way no one requires you to live in this society. You are free to leave at any time. But this is what the people want
Indeed. These abstractions have always been the basis on which the rights of individuals are trampled by tyrants.
You haven't even defined what you mean by "this society", so how can you talk about what it requires or how to leave it?
We already do in a thousand ways. We say we are infringing on your rights with every street light we put up. We AS A SOCIETY agree to these restrictions on our freedom to get all the many benefits from a society. But as I said you are free to leave.
Oh I can tell you how to leave it. You must go somewhere where you are not subject to any of the laws of the United States. Good luck.
Who is "we"? I'm only talking to you. And you cannot seem to define what "society" is. You just keep throwing it around as if the meaning were obvious. I know what you said. It doesn't make any sense unless you first define what you mean by "society". But instead of defining it, you just keep asserting it and talking about some abstract "we".
I have answered this question. You want a one sentence answer. It does not exist. We define our society in a thousand ways. Ok I will make overly simple. Our society is defined as anywhere that is subject to the laws of the United States.
Again, who is this "we" you keep referring to? You're the only one I'm talking to right now. You do not speak for anyone except yourself. So how do YOU define society? If you define it as "anywhere that is subject to the laws of the United States", then the question becomes: Why is that the definition? What makes it legitimate or reasonable in your opinion?
I define it as anywhere that is subject to the laws of the US. I and many others. We vote for it everytime we elect our politicians. What makes it legitimate? It works. Reasonable? Yep.
So if "society" decided to exterminate a certain ethnic minority in order to achieve "public safety" that would be okay with you?
I could also ask you how you're defining the "laws" of the United States, or how you're defining the "United States". At a certain point, you'd be forced to admit that these, too, are nebulous abstractions, much like you conception of "society". In other words, your version of "society" is nothing more than a house of cards built atop quick sand. It means whatever you want it to mean. It has no universal or objective qualities, nor does it have a firm basis in reason or morality. It's just an illusion that serves as a pretext for the violation of individual rights.
Nope. It a construct that we have created that allows us to live very well. As I said you are free to leave at anytime.
It doesn't matter how many people agree with you though, nor does it matter what rituals or customs you associate with your beliefs. All sorts of evil acts have been committed by majorities, and all sorts of evil acts have been committed in the context of voting rituals and customs. That does not make them meaningful or reasonable. Works how?
