One of the big issues we as humans have
in life is the line between compulsion and cooperation. We almost
know instinctively that we must cooperate or die. Yet when we try to
compel someone to cooperate with us we get rebellion or something
worse. Still it seems that in every generation there are those who
will say that the only way to achieve cooperation is to compel people
to cooperate! It seems to me that cooperation is the exact opposite
of compulsion and that if one tries to obtain cooperation by force
(which is the definition of compulsion) then cooperation disappears.
The question remains though if we know
that cooperation is necessary to maintain society how do we obtain
the cooperation? The answer to that is persuasion. Persuasion that
the person being asked to do something will benefit from that which
he is being asked to do.
Now it is possible to persuade people
that if they steal from 'the rich' it will be to their benefit. But
since theft eventually breaks down societal cooperation it does not
benefit you to listen to those who would convince you that when a group
of people does a thing it is more moral than when an individual does
a thing.
© 2012 Vic Jones
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