Spencer Heath Archive

Item 3151

Typed transcript by Spencer MacCallum from conversation with Heath

No date

 

 

 

 

/THE NATURE AND RESOLUTION OF POLITICS/

 

Take this McCarthy situation. There are two poli­tical powers rivaling each other for the right or the power to rule the world. It’s true that one seems much more civilized than the other, more disposed to less brutal methods, but still they’re rivals for power. And in this rivalry neither has any alternative for there is no way in which sovereignties can trade with each other. No sovereignty has any process of doing positive good to the other in exchange for positive good in return. They are not therefore “high contract­ing parties;” the most they can do is make tenuous treaties or covenants – mere promises not to harm one another.

 

In contrast, an individual in society has innumerable opportunities to engage in contracts, to do mutual good to one another. He has this alternative abundantly, so he need not engage in anti-social or political activities against his fellow man or make treaties or covenants not to do so. Individuals have evolved conditions in which they can practice the Golden Rule of contract and exchange for their mutual good. Political organizations don’t have that character. All they can do is exist for mutual harm.

 

The public authority must evolve out of the tech­nology of harm into the psychology of service that is characteristic of all social or contractual authority. This evolution is destined to take place through the owners of community property — real estate — forming community organizations of their property for the production and distribution within their respective communities of the common or community services, thereby creating in­comes and values for all parties concerned.