Tom Hastings' utopia is dangerous to personal liberty

The Guest Commentary from July 21 begs for response to Tom Hastings’ primary assertions: (1) conflict transformation can lead to a conflict-free world and (2) to get there requires social “experimentation.”

Short answer: Seeking peace is laudable, but (1) Ain’t gonna happen. (2) His plan comes at the expense of your liberties.

Re: point (2). Social experimentation is central in any attempt to create Hastings’ utopia — and it is utopia. Plato’s Republic, More’s Utopia, Hobbes’ Leviathan and Marx’s Communist Manifesto unanimously agree: Utopia requires the state to eliminate dissent and oppositi...