“It is largely because civilization enables us constantly to profit from knowledge which we individually do not possess and because each individual's use of his particular knowledge may serve to assist others unknown to him in achieving their ends that men as members of civilized society can pursue their individual ends so much more successfully than they could alone.”

And by pursuing our own individual ends we not only take responsibility for ourselves and our families, but contribute to society as a whole. If we all did that...politicians would be what they truly are...irrelevant. And the world would be a much more productive and civilized place.

Amen, J Carlton.

Especially true when a government is truly democratic.

I go along with Carlton's comments. dick, by "truly democratic", do you mean mobacracy with no individual inalienable rights?

Yes we are interdependent. Knowledge has never been more available. The seeker can learn more than he/she could ever be taught.

A truly civilized civilization is peopled by Sovereign Individuals who, under the ennobling tutelage of Virtue and the humanizing constraint of Morality, are able to reflexly act in their own and, by natural extension, one another's Illumined best interests.