h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Good one there...

Madonna is a good example of a capitalist who embraces capitalism in its true form as a system of exploitation which exploits the many for the profit of the few.

Anarchists have always been opposed to this in the name of freedom and equality for all. Anarchism is a form of libertarian socialism as distinct from the state socialism of Marxism.

Let's burn her bra.

I don't think i want to touch her bra. maybe we could sing about burning her bra?

Anarchy is usually meant to mean the form of constitution where there is no centralised governmental system, but every man (and woman) governs him/her self.
I know that definition by consensus isn't the be-all and end-all of critical argument, but it's usually better than the humpty-dumptying that we're all guilty of practising in this forum.

Perhaps if we can agree on some stipulative definitions of terms, it would be easier for us to reach a common conclusion as we would all know to what we were referring?

For instance: we seem to confuse equality with egalitarianism a lot in this debate. Tell you what I'll do (being such a nice bloke an' all ) I'll let people come up with definitions of technical terms which they feel are appropriate and embody not only the method in which they are normally used, but are also nonvague and unambiguous. If we can get definitions for each of the words we use in this manner (and obviously anyone who has a prob with any of the definitions given is free to debate them, in cases such as this it can never be considered pedantry) then perhaps we stand a better chance of agreeing, or at least agreeing to disagree, on the various forms of government?

Socialism, Communism, Marxism, Stalinism, Anarchism, Oligarchism, Capitalism, Equality, Egalitarianism, State, Government, Democracy, Exploitation, and probably a few others that I can't think of.

To start, I will propose that we clearly define the difference between the People (everyone who lives in a particular state) and the Franchise (those people who have the right to vote). For instance, the People in the U.K. are the population, but the Franchise are anyone over 18 who is not insane, in gaol or a member of the House of Lords or of the Royal Family.

And of course some people are not human. Think Margaret Thatcher

The Franchise are anyone over 18 who is not insane, in
gaol or a member of the House of Lords or of the Royal Family and HAVE THE BRITISH PASSPORT.

Thinking is not so simple as giving definitions. Society works like a seperate organism, maybe could be described.
But discribers have interests, so the discription is ONE way of seeing the truth, others see other truth (adäquate description of reality).

And after all, as society is made by people, (accepted by the mass of it) it works obviously for the interest of only a few of its members
Even if most of the members believe it works for them either, it doesn't.
Communism must fail? It will work the one way ore the other.
Or nothing will work at all.
(Still dolphins in the area?)

You don't need to have a passport to be able to vote, but you need to be eligible for one, which basically is what I covered. Except that one muse exclude the homeless.

Of course thinking isn't restricted to definitions, but it helps to make some kind of start if everyone knows what certain words mean. This is why I suggested that we stipulate.

For instance, loonytunes said earlier that anarchism was a form of libertarian socialism, which isn't how I understand it. I've always used the etymological definition, whereby anarchy means "without government". A complete antithesis of socialism. Of course, anarcho-syndicalism is approaching socialism insofaras it almost identically resembles Marxism, but is much more autocratic.

P.S. I'm glad to see my spelling (the correct one!) of the word gaol didn't fall upon deaf keyboards.
P.P.S. There have NEVER been any dolphins around here. Erm, never. No dolphins. I'm not a dolphin, and never have been. So long, and thanks for all the fish.

ERm, actually I knew a guy who sponsored a dolphin living in Scotland (well, off the coast actually). The dolphins name was sunny (could have been sonny)

Oh, DOLPHINS! Sorry, misheard you there. Of course there are dolphins around here, in fact I commune with them regularly.

%-)