c2a70186   
   301121a3   
   XPost: soc.culture.baltics, soc.culture.czecho-slovak, soc.culture.russian   
   From: ddfr@daviddfriedman.nopsam.com   
      
   In article   
   ,   
    holman@mappi.helsinki.fi (Eugene Holman) wrote:   
      
   > In article   
   > , David   
   > Friedman  wrote:   
   >   
   > > In article   
   > > ,   
   > >  holman@mappi.helsinki.fi (Eugene Holman) wrote:   
   > >   
   > > > Culturally there are considerable differences resulting, I would suggest,   
   > > > from the harsh climate and the consquent necessity to be concerned about   
   > > > more than your own welfare. It is difficut for a community to survive and   
   > > > prosper in the harsh sub-arctic Scandinavian climate without a strong   
   > > > sense of collective societal responsibility. Traditional Finnish customs   
   > > > include *talkoot*: neighborly help rendered without expectation of   
   > > > compensation to ensure that nobody falls too far behind. Finnish   
   > > > cooperatives and experiments with utopian socialist projects are very   
   > > > important aspects of the 20th century history of Finns both in Finland   
   and   
   > > > in the diaspora. Rugged individualism of the Anglo-American variety has   
   > > > never been particularly popular in Finland.   
   > >   
   > > On the other hand, Norse culture, historically, has a reputation, I   
   > > think deserved, for individualism. And it developed in roughly the same   
   > > environment.   
   >   
   > The Vikings could not have embarked upon the exploits that they did,   
   > conquering large parts of culturally more advanced England, France, and   
   > Ireland, trading with the Turks using the rivers of the interior of   
   > Russia, venturing over the unchartered oceans to the western hemisphere,   
   > without the ability to function as finely-coordinated collective entities.   
      
   On that basis, you will have to argue that successful capitalism is   
   evidence of a strong sense of collective societal responsibility too.   
   Just think of all the fine coordination in a successful firm of any   
   significant size.   
      
   I think you are confusing the ability to cooperate in the mutual   
   interest of the parties with "collective social responsibility."   
      
   --   
    http://www.daviddfriedman.com/ http://daviddfriedman.blogspot.com/   
    Author of _Harald_, a fantasy without magic.   
    Published by Baen, in bookstores now   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)