From: "Aaron Agassi" <agassi@erols.com>
To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
Subject: A quick meme
Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 07:06:01 -0400
The debate rages on, risk Vs benefit, what is the best or worst response to
those who do not function well witting our society? Neglect, coddle, or
bully? The debate, however unclear and half baked, is over the nature of
responsibility. Whether those unfortunates can help themselves, or if they
are in fact helpless. If they are sympathetic or merely culpable.
Those who would inflict responsibility clash with those whom they feel would
misguidedly abrogate responsibility. Those who wish to help, clash with
those who feel help is undeserved and unappreciated.
I have a thought, a mini-meme, to put it things in perspective:
Responsibility is an achievement.
That offers a context for help that might not be too much of a crutch, and a
needed moral perspective for moralistic Authoritarians to reflect upon.
Responsibility, then, ceases to be debt to either be collected or forgiven.
But rather goal and a question of practicality. That is the responsible
position on uestion of responsibility itself.
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