Is authority a bad thing?

[Sejita]

While on an island with just you and him, you may be equal, if not better than him, the same does not apply elsewhere. Bush was elected, at least in principle, because of the qualities he exhibited that make him a good leader, and figurehead of the country (though that has been proven wrong). On an island, a leader or a figurehead isn't needed, and therefore those qualities which make him unique on the political scale are rendered null and void in that particular situation.

[Compugasm]

That's why I support Bear Grylls for POTUS, no-one will ever go hungry again.

[Piscean]

Personally i don't have much respect for people that are drawn to positions of "so called" leadership. You have to question what kind of person wants to be a politiciaqn or world leader in the first place.

[grandpa]

Quote by: Piscean Personally i don't have much respect for people that are drawn to positions of "so called" leadership. You have to question what kind of person wants to be a politiciaqn or world leader in the first place.

True. I don't run for office because I have no
intention of antagonizing anyone, at least not as much as politicians tend to. Look at hatred against the Vietnamese people, for instance -- servicemen calling them "Gooks" and whatnot. It's disgusting, but easily forgotten. But it was one of the legacies of American leadership.

We should be skeptical of all positions of power, I think. Of course, I don't say that as rheetorically as some people do. I really mean it.

Tom Paine:
"A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial
appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in
defence of custom. But tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts
than reason."

Grandpa h.

[Dr_Acula]

If the existance of Authority, of a State, is derived from the premise that "all people are inherently selfish and will put their own welfare before the welfare of the society; so a rule must be created, and given monopoly of all means of cohesion, to ensure peace between citizens and the obedience to do what's best for the society"; then it is only logical to say that the ones running the State are also "inherently selfish" and will use their Authoity for selfish and unjust means.
And then, you will simply have passed from having many, relatively weak, or at least balanced, uncooperative humans fighting and destroying each other, to having a few, overpowered tyrants oppressing and exploiting any and all.

This however, only applies if you parted from the premise of "everyone is selfish", which is not always the case.

[Piscean]

Tom Paine: "A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defence of custom. But tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason."

Wow thats a good quote!