An Open Question [1] [2] for the 2012 candidates for President.
This letter has been sent – or will be sent – to most of the candidates for the presidency in the Democratic and Republican parties in 2012. Some won’t get it – their web site utterly lacks ‘contact me’ email or a web form.
I have no pretension that I’ll get anything but a form letter back. If that.
It would be instructive if they would answer the question. But that will have to wait until a person with more umph asks the question at a debate, or a member of the press with some brass ones pitches it to them. Or, possibly, if a lucky member of the public finds themselves face-to-face with the candidate.
Or maybe you could re-blog, pass it along, send it to the candidates, put a bug in the ear of a reporter.
Sir / Ma’am,
I am asking this question of the announced candidates for President.
The answer will be very instructive, will tell the voters a great deal about your philosophy, how you will perform in office.
I will publish the results on my blog, Space For Commerce, and a mil-blog that I contribute to, The Daily Brief.
Amartya Sen wrote in ‘The Idea of Justice’ this thought experiment;
Take three kids and a flute. Anne says the flute should be given to her because she is the only one who knows how to play it. Bob says the flute should be handed to him as he is so poor he has no toys to play with. Carla says the flute is hers because she made it.
Sen argues that who gets the flute depends on your concept of justice.
Bob will have the support of the economic egalitarian.
The libertarian would opt for Carla.
The utilitarian will argue for Anne because she will get the maximum pleasure, as she can play the instrument.
Who gets the flute?
R/s
Brian Dunbar
Neenah, Wisconsin
[1] On review I see the summary owes a great deal to – if not an outright theft from – Eric Falkenstein at Falkenblog.
Sorry about that.
[2] Tip o’ the hat to SouthBend7 for sparking the idea.
Ans: Whoever Carla sell or give it to!
Seriously, anyone would say that Carla gets the flute (yes, because she made it).
I get that you are trying to ask a real question, but you are making all sorts of assumptions about what your opponents believe.
Please understand:
1) I am a socialist.
2) I believe Carla should keep her flute. Any socialist would.
Now, for a different hypothetical question:
Take three mountain men and a stream that runs past all their cabins. First cabin is Joe, next down stream is Mike, and next down stream is Terry.
Joe wants to divert some of the water to his goldmine. There will still be plenty of water left. Mike doesn’t mind, but Terry worships some nature god and says Joe has no right to a) mine for gold, and b) steal water.
Should Joe be able to divert some water? Hell yeah as far as I’m concerned.
After discussions, Joe explains that he also wants to dump the runoff from his goldmine back into the stream.
Terry says, No way, Gaia will be pissed. Mike is concerned that he might die because that’s where his drinking water comes from. Should Joe be allowed to contaminate the stream?
And final hypothetical question. Joe builds his goldmine and gets rich. In doing this, he accidently chases all the animals away from the mountain. Mike and Terry and now hungry because the only thing left to eat on this mountain is grasshoppers. They call their congressman and say, “This Mike dude ruined out mountain and now he’s all rich and shit and we’re sitting here eating grasshoppers. He should be supporting us now!”
Does Joe owe them anything? Is his super wealthy goldmine really the same thing as a flute that carla made?
Seriously, anyone would say that Carla gets the flute
I am less interested in the answer than the work that you did to arrive at that answer.
Thanks for playing along.
Are you asking how I know that anyone would say Carla? I guess I shouldn’t speak for everyone, but I find it hard to imagine anyone thinking otherwise.
My real point was simply that your question implied three types of people – one for each answer. This also implies that two of those types of people are, for lack of a better phrase, your political opposition.
If I am correct in deducing this, then I think you really don’t udnerstand your opposition (me). Yes, we disagree on really fundamental stuff, but if we are going to figure out how to get by as a society we need to not get hung up on false differences.