Very few people actually think anarchy is an ideal policy. They just think if the choice is between the permissiveness you describe, and oppressive enforcement of inequitable rules, permissiveness is the far lesser evil.
But moderation is a non starter when people come to believe maximalism/absolutism is the most successful political post…
Very few people actually think anarchy is an ideal policy. They just think if the choice is between the permissiveness you describe, and oppressive enforcement of inequitable rules, permissiveness is the far lesser evil.
But moderation is a non starter when people come to believe maximalism/absolutism is the most successful political posture for preventing bad policies from getting enacted. If you think you’re in a zero-sum tug of war with your political enemies, you pull as hard as you can in your direction, even if the outcome isn’t what you would actually prefer. Compromise is not seen as potential movement toward good policy, it’s just ceding territory to your enemies, who also think maximalism is the best strategy to get what they want.
So we’re all being yanked back and forth toward ridiculous extremes, with a predictable overreaching and overcorrection cycle, because everyone thinks that’s the only way to achieve even partial success.
Very few people actually think anarchy is an ideal policy. They just think if the choice is between the permissiveness you describe, and oppressive enforcement of inequitable rules, permissiveness is the far lesser evil.
But moderation is a non starter when people come to believe maximalism/absolutism is the most successful political posture for preventing bad policies from getting enacted. If you think you’re in a zero-sum tug of war with your political enemies, you pull as hard as you can in your direction, even if the outcome isn’t what you would actually prefer. Compromise is not seen as potential movement toward good policy, it’s just ceding territory to your enemies, who also think maximalism is the best strategy to get what they want.
So we’re all being yanked back and forth toward ridiculous extremes, with a predictable overreaching and overcorrection cycle, because everyone thinks that’s the only way to achieve even partial success.