I’ve nowhere recommended “creating/inventing laws and customs” as a means of saving the world—for exactly the reason you cite. On the contrary, I’ve said explicitly that this is NOT where our hope lies.

In The Story of B I said: “If the world is saved, it will not be by old minds with new programs but by new minds with no programs at all” (and reiterated this in Beyond Civilization). In Beyond Civilization I went on to say: “Most programs take this form: Outlaw the thing that’s bothering you, catch people who do it, and put them in jail.”

I go on to say: “Old minds think: We have to write tougher and more comprehensive laws.” The world is not going to be saved by passing new laws (or inventing new customs). If you’re still in doubt about what I AM saying, I strongly recommend to you the speech entitled “The New Renaissance,”  which I’ve described as “a concise expression of the basic message of all my books.”

ID: 589
posted:
updated: 03 Sep 2002