Check out this article from this week’s Australian Financial Review: Beware the Anti-Nanny State Police (PDF). It’s a great article on protecting the vulnerable in society. My brother wrote a letter agreeing with the article from a Christian perspective. Here it is:
I think it’s a thoughtful, intelligent response. Tidy work bro :)
i went to a forum for local politicians a few years ago and there was a libertarian dude there arguing for the removal of a whole lot of restraints. on hearing him explaining why, we were all very underwhelmed, tho perhaps a little scared.
the idea of freedom from all restraints sounds appealing until the consequences for the weak are played out.
kudos to ur bro!
yep, good call.
(tangent on consequences and restraint to follow…)
i do this activity with year 6 scripture classes called international day of no consequences. basically i get them to imagine that whatever they do tomorrow will have no consequences… ie with the law, from teachers, police, parents.
after some discussion – what they originally think would be lots of fun, they realise would have terrible consequences and that the best thing to do would be to hide!!
it would be good to understand the difference between positive freedom and negative freedom. i don’t. even with the help of wikipedia.
but the blanket idea of freedom is the lynchpin of so many discussions (gay marriage, euthanasia, abortion), it seems a little public education on the two types might add a bit of finesse to the debates (which are currently framed as ‘if you disagree you’re restricting my freedom – fascist!’)
I was discussing the use of the word pejorative with a friend just last night – this is a great example!
what pejorative things were you thinking of?