I don't trust people saying that "society is going down the abyss" and then using it to justify a crackdown on personal freedoms - ranting about "degeneracy" is how authoritarians destroy democracy time and again.
“Freedom” in the American context means something different than the how people use it today. It’s closer to “freedom to make the right choices.”
John Adams said: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” He was making an important point that has nothing to do with theology. Society can have extensive individual freedoms when people are socialized to mostly to make the right decisions without government coercion. If we loosen the social guardrails, as we have done, more government coercion becomes necessary to suppress anti-social behavior.
int_19h|5 months ago
rayiner|5 months ago
John Adams said: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” He was making an important point that has nothing to do with theology. Society can have extensive individual freedoms when people are socialized to mostly to make the right decisions without government coercion. If we loosen the social guardrails, as we have done, more government coercion becomes necessary to suppress anti-social behavior.
jjani|5 months ago