Robert Heinlein investigated this idea with his novel "Starship Troopers." After the first chapter he says, to the best of my recollection, "humans are of nature, and need physical consequences for their actions."
It was after watching a court-marshalling of soldiers. The soldiers were whipped and dismissed from service.
Now, the novel investigates a society that's structured around an MI complex. Despite the continuous need for war, it shows that citizenship should not just be given; that there should be a real cost (military service) for those who wish to be voting members of society.
I generally agree. The number of people able to learn concrete ideas from abstract lessons is... not enough. And the age at which that part of the brain even engages is ...too old.
Robert Heinlein investigated this idea with his novel "Starship Troopers." After the first chapter he says, to the best of my recollection, "humans are of nature, and need physical consequences for their actions."
It was after watching a court-marshalling of soldiers. The soldiers were whipped and dismissed from service.
Now, the novel investigates a society that's structured around an MI complex. Despite the continuous need for war, it shows that citizenship should not just be given; that there should be a real cost (military service) for those who wish to be voting members of society.
I generally agree. The number of people able to learn concrete ideas from abstract lessons is... not enough. And the age at which that part of the brain even engages is ...too old.