I agree wholeheartedly with your analysis, but it goes beyond just low trust individuals being turned loose in a high trust society. The question is whether Islam is compatible, antagonistic, or capable of co-existence with Western Enlightenment Values. An honest answer is not compatible, but capable of co-existence. I've explored that subject in 2 substack essays and am continuing the discussion in a yet to be published 3rd.
I don’t think that’s exactly what happened to Rome. For the first several centuries, military service was restricted to and required of Roman male citizens. Rome got to the point it was fighting more and further away, and the farmer citizens were going broke because they weren’t home to do any farming. The political class was fine with this because they gobbled up the farms for a pittance.
Then the Romans turned to non-citizens for military eligibility and dangled the citizenship as a reward. In the not too distant future, the legions were stuffed with Celts and Franks and
others of that ilk, but the empire still held together (ostensibly) another 700 years or thereabouts.
Be sure to check out Dick’s series on Islam, and be amazed at the ignorance of our past leadership.
I agree wholeheartedly with your analysis, but it goes beyond just low trust individuals being turned loose in a high trust society. The question is whether Islam is compatible, antagonistic, or capable of co-existence with Western Enlightenment Values. An honest answer is not compatible, but capable of co-existence. I've explored that subject in 2 substack essays and am continuing the discussion in a yet to be published 3rd.
https://removingthecataract.substack.com/p/the-enlightenment-and-islam-part
Dick Minnis
I don’t think that’s exactly what happened to Rome. For the first several centuries, military service was restricted to and required of Roman male citizens. Rome got to the point it was fighting more and further away, and the farmer citizens were going broke because they weren’t home to do any farming. The political class was fine with this because they gobbled up the farms for a pittance.
Then the Romans turned to non-citizens for military eligibility and dangled the citizenship as a reward. In the not too distant future, the legions were stuffed with Celts and Franks and
others of that ilk, but the empire still held together (ostensibly) another 700 years or thereabouts.
Be sure to check out Dick’s series on Islam, and be amazed at the ignorance of our past leadership.