Quiz for democrats and socialists - answered

[miko2d]

The necesities of government reguation and involvement as the complexity of life grows is an obvious matter for most rationally-thinking people.
 So let's see if you know your sources better than your political opponents.

"We first asserted that the more complicated the form civilization assumes, the more restricted the individual freedom should become."
 Who said that?

 P.S. I modified the wording slightly to prevent the web search - not that I expect you to cheat...

 P.P.S. Republicans, libertarians, etc. please abstain from answering the question - just indicate whether you now the answer or post initials.

 miko

[funkedup]

Why is it important to know the source for an idea which is completely obvious to anybody who is paying attention?  

[Sandman]

Oops... PCT.

[midnight Target]

If you modified the wording, then YOU said it.

[miko2d]

funkedup: Why is it important to know the source for an idea which is completely obvious to anybody who is paying attention?

 In some respects - like inherent validity of an idea - it does not matter. In others - like being able to follow through its development and examples, it is very helpfull.

 It also helps when referring to something you expect people to know when any confusion may lead to a mixup and misunderstanding - like how many blacks know that "republican and democrat" refers to "Lincoln and Wallace" rather than "Wallace and Lincoln"?

 Anyway, that's just a one-question quiz on a slow day. No particular importance.


midnight Target: If you modified the wording, then YOU said it.

 Not really - not at all, actually.
 How could I modify the wording and still stay exactly as true to what was said as the original? Explanation would be a clue, so you figure it out for an extra credit!

 miko

[H. Godwineson]

Engels and Marx?

Shuckins

[ra]

Whoever said it, the word 'should' is ambiguous.  In the US it often means 'ought to', but in correct English it means 'will' or more likely 'will have'.

ra

[miko2d]

Only the word 'the' in that statement is not ambiguous.
'ought to' is much more obvious choice here than 'will' though the latter would not change the meaning significantly. Anyway, I am not asking anyone to analyse it's meaning but to identify the author of that important insight.

 H. Godwineson - no. More recent. No beard.

 Sandman - is PCT an initial? Then no. Who is P.C.T. BTW?

 miko

[Sandman]

Publius Cornelius Tacitus

[midnight Target]

Originally posted by miko2d
P.S. I modified the wording slightly to prevent the web search - not that I expect you to cheat...

 miko

Not really - not at all, actually.
How could I modify the wording and still stay exactly as true to what was said as the original?

[miko2d]

How could I modify the wording and still stay exactly as true to what was said as the original?

 Oh, come on - it's so simple.

 The original statement that you can find on the Internet is a translation from the language in which the person in question was speaking.
 So by providing an alternative translation/modifying the original one, I stayed as true to what was said as the original translation. Maybe even closer for all you know.

 That reveals that the person was not an English-speaker and you lose a chance of a bonus credit!

 miko

[mietla]

Looks like the neo-Marxists on this BB are not real neo-Marxists, only a wannabies.

[Sandman]

Which ones on this board are neo-Marxist? Which ones want to be?

[Sandman]

Oh... and the initials are BM.

[miko2d]

All right, here is the answer, Sandman is right:

"We were the first to assert that the more complicated the forms assumed by civilization, the more restricted the freedom of the individual must become"
        Benito Mussolini