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

Well linked to the topic name, there, a bit. Thanks for the links, as you might have seen I've already made a totally superfluous and unnecessary posting. Hurrah! Fnord's back in town!

Welcome Back!
Sorry if I interupted your flow, it inspired me to post about our hootoo home freedoms changing.

"Three levels of freedom - personal, economic, and political - should do quite well for labelling any system to the satisfaction of the viewer."

If only it were so simple! Those of a libertarian persuasion and those of a high citizen's wage persuasion would both lay claim to the title of proponent of economic freedom. The libertarian would claim this because of the lower tax rates (possibly among other things) and the HCW proponent because the poor are better off and therefore have more economic choices. Indeed, the very nature of freedom is up for debate....

Otto

Perhaps we change "freedom" to "regulation."

hmmm yes that makes sense.
Regulations are easier for approaching in discussion, more black and white.

Well when the Liberal Democrats first formed in the UK they were called the Social and Liberal Democrats. At the last general election in 2001 some political commentators said they were more socialist that the Labour Party the traditional socialist party of the UK. However they are also the champions of liberty and liberal ideals in the UK.

There has been a backlash against the lack of a socialist agenda in the Labour party especially in Scotland where 6 Scottish Socialist MSPs now sit in the Scottish Parliament.

Yes, then regulation not freedom. It would still require a small degree of individual judgement, but less. So would that be a satisfactory way of labelling systems?

Frankly, all labels in politics don't work very well, because very few systems conform to the standard definition of a word. Because of this, that word begins to lose its original meaning and soon becomes a "gray-definition" word. Eventually, labels begin to mean things which they never did to begin with, and we end up with confused people wondering what happened to their nice little labels.

I'd prefer no labels. I walk a squiggly yet fairly firm line
As long as no opinion is assumed, which is always a good idea anyway, it should be OK.

The point of me trying to make a system was for individual purposes, not for widespead judgements. You can't make it work outside of one person, I know. I was just trying to find a way to reliably judge a system that didn't rely on my personal feelings for the leader.