Schwartz talks about how rules and incentives can actually degrade our ability to do the right thing.
It's something I noticed and talked a lot about in England last year. Cameras, "anti-social behaviour" laws, overwhelming police presence - none of these emphasize our responsibility to one another, yet they relieve us of our duty to think about what's right and what isn't. There are certainly better, more universally appealing reasons not to harm others (or spit gum on the sidewalk) than the threat of punishment. Overprotective parents make for bratty children; overprotective governments, I believe, make for bad citizens.
No comments:
Post a Comment