Re: The Ayn Rand World

On 9 Feb 2013, at 23:06, a b <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Sun, Feb 3, 2013 at 7:46 PM, David Deutsch <david.deutsch-LR/[email protected]> wrote:
>> 
>> On 3 Feb 2013, at 14:43, hibbsa [email protected]> wrote:
>> 
>>> In this brave new world why:
>>> 
>>> - would anyone be willing to fight and die for their country, for a few
>>> hundred bucks a month? Where's the personal advantage right there for
>>> that person?
>>> 
>>> - How would democracy work without an ethos of public service? Why
>>> should some elected official regard his duty as being to serve his
>>> constituency? Why not just the position to line his own pockets?
>>> 
>>> - Why not be corrupt in general if it makes more money for a given
>>> individual in a given position?
>> 
>> In any world, brave or not, why would anyone ever buy anything if the
>> result was that they had less money?
>> 
>> - David Deutsch
>> 
> 
> I know the simple point you are making, but I'm not sure I know how to
> unpack it if you feel like helping out :o)

I'm not sure I've made a point yet.

It's just that your question assumes that there's a prima facie case (in a 'brave new world', though nothing you said seemed to depend on what world your question is set in) for people to be corrupt, etc. I wasn't sure which case you meant -- they are all flawed -- so I was trying to find out by asking a question that discriminates between them, so I'd know which case to try to answer.

Specifically:

>> In any world, brave or not, why would anyone ever buy anything if the
>> result was that they had less money?

-- David Deutsch