The Just City - Chapters 01-15 (April 2017)

[Marc]

This thread is for those who'd like to discuss as they're reading. Please limit comments to the first 15 chapters.

First impressions?
How does this fit with your own notions of utopia?

[Peter]

I kept thinking: These people are insane -- philosophy must rot the brain or something. Utopias are something to contemplate, but to try to build one from scratch, with real people, who were not volunteers is highly problematic at best!

[Marc]

The arguments for the experiment sort of reminded me of those you still hear from proponents of socialism or communism: that it's never been tried in its "true" form. I found it a rather fascinating premise especially with the pulling from different time periods and cultures. I guess you either take volunteers for something like this and suffer in terms of "quality control" or you coerce/force the "ideal" picks...

[Peter]

I had a friend argue that people who force great changes in society, for good or ill, tend to be at least somewhat sociopathic as they have to bring down unpleasant consequences on people who didn't ask for it without letting that slow their projects down. In practical terms, those striving for great changes can't care too much about the people their actions hurt. Ever since that discussion I've been worrying she might be right. Her examples included Gandhi and Martin Luther King.

[Casceil]

I've just read the first few chapters, but I find I keep thinking about the road to Hell being paved with good intentions. I am somewhat bothered by the "masters" believing that they are doing a good deed for the people whose lives they have taken control of.