I apologize for being slow to grasp the meaning of the Simpol and
flexible-learning links you provided. I'm afraid my own mind was so
absorbed with contemplating an electoral method that allows meaningful
participation by all citizens that I didn't make the jump to teaching
ourselves and our children to be open-minded.
re: "Please, do not consider any 'the Authority' being external
to the subject. Please consider that each subject - each
one of us - has a slot inside one's brain network waiting
for some whichever image or symbol or idea to pull into and
make it thereby become 'the Authority'."
This is the part I completely missed. I interpreted 'the Authority' as
being a governmental authority rather than our own 'internal authority'
that guides our acts.
Addressing our 'internal authority' for the purpose of making it more
flexible is a complex task I've never considered. At first blush, it
seems to me an approach best undertaken by academics from whom it can
filter down to educators and, ultimately, to the lay population. It is
a fundamental approach that, when successful, will benefit society.
However, accomplishing it will be a serious challenge, made more
difficult by the misleading deceptions of marketing, the manipulation of
public attitudes by the media, and the focus on trivialities like sports
and computer gaming that tend to suppress thoughtful reflection by
individuals.
My own thoughts have been directed toward creating an electoral method
based on participation, implemented in an environment that employs
individual judgment to select the best of our number as our governmental
representatives. It is my opinion that judgment, like any other
quality, needs exercise to reach its full potential. This leads me to
believe creating an electoral process that relies on people's judgment
will be a self-improving process (as suggested by Dr. Alasdair Macintyre.)
Although I believe our views are complementary, the gap between them may
be difficult to bridge. Is there, do you think, a way to meld them?