Your aversion SE settings in real life?

[Shai-Hulud]

I fint it very interesting indeed that people rather avert from Fundamentalism than Police State. At least in the first there is a chance for individual to survive from some brutalities of oppression but in the latter option you really don't have(as a common citizen) a chance for what we call, a life worth living for.

And, even if you're the oppressor in Police State you're liberties are restricted because of your position. Police State does not grant its upper class a freedom democracy does. Simply because you need to stay protected from countless enemies you make.

I'd rather ****** my intellectual progress than ****** my human nature. Because human nature, as we know it, is the enemy of Police State(freedom, individuality, emotional bonding, privacy etc.) And eventually such a system would seek to destroy such values in order to survive. Police State leads to totalitarianism...or revolts into democracy.

[epicurian]

I totally agree with Shai-Hulud there. While I am not anti-religious by any means, both fundamentalist and police-state regimes disgust me, but if it was a no-other-option-pick-one-or-the-other situation, I would prefer fundamentalism, if only because you are less likely (even if only just) to end up in front of a firing squad.

[Shai-Hulud]

Another point about personal security...

In Fundamentalism you are likely to be protected by some kind of perverted sense of justice. If you're "a true believer", or appear as such, the system can't just simply "witchunt" you and expect to be praised by its people. It has to follow the guidelines of faith even though not as rigidly as its citizens.

On the other hand in Police State you might be persecuted for ANY reason. It does not necessarily matter if you support the system. Wrong place at the wrong time, gazing at your groceries in suspicious ways or just wearing the wrong kind of shirt. Fundamentalism is blinded by dogmatic belief but Police State is blinded by human greed, will to power and big brother fantasies. I think there is a certain point to which the Fundamentalism develops, but Police State can go anywhere from Nazi-Germany to Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four.

...so I would definitely not want to take my chances.

[swillwater]

Originally posted by epicurian
I totally agree with Shai-Hulud there. While I am not anti-religious by any means, both fundamentalist and police-state regimes disgust me, but if it was a no-other-option-pick-one-or-the-other situation, I would prefer fundamentalism, if only because you are less likely (even if only just) to end up in front of a firing squad.

Which explains why you have the good chairman as your avatar

My aversions: I'll ignore the initial social choices, as they are simply there until we have the resources to choose a better one. The following social choices are to my mind worse than the initial choices.

Police State (pretty much all the above reasons are given by others)
Fundamentalist (Don't force your religion on me, and I won't force mine on yours...)
Planned (Simply speaking, planned economies do not work)
Power (Just not one of my favourite goals)
Thought Control (police state part 2)

For me, the preferences are clear: Democratic, Green, Knowledge or Wealth, Eudamonic
Strangely enough, when playing the game these are my social choices for every (SMAC) faction except the Hive.

[Enigma_Nova]

You can't pop boom well without Planned.

I agree with the notion of persecution for random events, under police state, and my continued existence would depend on whether the Chairman agrees with my philosophy.

Fundy, however, is an automaic no-no. While the Chairman may have use for my questioning of his policies (I could be a strategical analyst or something), Fundy denies scope for this.
I'm an obcessive questioner. While there may be a future for me in Police State, there is no future for me in Fundy.

I suppose, if I agreed with the Chairman, I'd support Police State over Democracy. To a large extent, I don't trust people.
I'd have to disagree with them all, though. Only an openminded approach to everyone's ideas would appeal to me.

Demo accomodates the Majority
Police accomodates the Chairman
Fundy accomodates the Dogma
Anarchy accomodates the Charismatic (or whoever else can gather followers)

So I suppose I'd agree with none of them.

[Method]

frontier != anarchy

[Enigma_Nova]

Real live has other political settings than the 4 in SMAC

I don't know much about frontier

[waab]

1, Free Market get rich or die
2, Fundy
3, Power
4, Though Controll

in that order...

[Blake]

frontier != anarchy

Indeed, depending who you ask it's somewhere between total chaos and the perfect society.

Anarchy I feel, is best defined as the lack of government. As such it doesn't really exist in any shape or form in SMAC, with the possible exception of the Data Angels who come close.

I don’t really have any strong aversions, they all have merits, even Fundie... not under Miriam, but I cant imagine it would be so brutal under Dee, and may be just the thing to whip the Gaians into fighting shape to save their own skins.

Yang seems to have figured out a way to eliminate the inefficiency of a police stat, perhaps it isn't so corrupt under Yangs rule.

Free Market is not inherently evil, it can be good for efficiency, it is however exceedingly dangerous when combined with ruthless capitalists, who are attracted to freemarkets like bees to honey. Free Markets are exceedingly complicated in reality, and literally by definition I dont believe true Free Markets can exist (something to do with Monopolies being the natural outcome of FM, while they also destroy FM). In any case, the SMAC FM economy setting seems to be all about exploitation for a fast buck, making it evil.

I do definitely have a strong aversion to Thought Control, although I doubt I'd feel that way in a TC society

[FrosT37]

I would say:

1. Thought control
2. Fundamentalism
3. Police state
4. Power

[Shai-Hulud]

Free Market is not inherently evil, it can be good for efficiency, it is however exceedingly dangerous when combined with ruthless capitalists, who are attracted to freemarkets like bees to honey.

Where's da honey?


Free Market is inherently 'free', so it's actually what people make of it. I think the nature of free market, or free society in that matter, tell a lot about the true human nature and about the culture of the nation.

I agree that FM in SMAC is presented as a greedy, unpleasant system of capitalist oppression. Which I think, in turn, might tell something about the political views of designers. It seems that Green economy is described in most neutral way. However, there really isn't any better definition for Planned than "fierce govermental regulation".

I've thought a lot about the possibility of truly free market system myself. It does seem that in a completely free market system big corporations can easily establish monopolies. But on the other hand I think the spirit of entrepreneurship and fierce competition will eventually lead to fall of inefficient monopolies. I'm not sure about it.

[Enigma_Nova]

I've had this argument many times with Union Representatives.
In an ideal world, where people stood up for themselves, and bothered to create their own businesses, you do not need so many laws and regulations.

A Free Market then becomes correct.

However, people are Scared, Foolish and Lazy. They do not want to fight back. Even if they did, the combination of Monopoly + Conformism tends to lead people to mindless purchasing.
Just look at Valentine's day and Christmas.

Free market Can and Does work... in theory. But in practise, it becomes a monopily.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

I find it amazing in todays day and age that people get more upset about the mere suggestion of God and church and find it more abhorent than denial of all personal rights as described in a Police State.

Fundy describes an adherence to one belief. Granted thats quite an infringement on personal liberty.

Police State describes a situation where all personal liberties are at the whim of the state not just freedom of religion.

No question PS is the greater aversion for me.

[Chaos Theory]

It's interesting how the feasibility of both true capitalism (unregulated free market) and true communism depend on people not being stupid ("Scared, Foolish, and Lazy" as Enigma put it).

[Enigma_Nova]

There are a lot of very good systems of living. Unfortunately, most of these work more for the Vulcans than they do for us humans.