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.require "memo.pub[let,jmc]" source
.cb THE SEVEN LEVELS OF POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

	Different people are at different levels of political
maturity.  Here are the levels:
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	#. A person acts politically on the basis of who are his
friends.

	#. A person decides on the basis of his enemies.
Curiously, this is usually a higher level, because the enemies are
more abstract - the imperialists or the communists.

	#. A person decides on the basis of issues - usually single
issues.  This isn't as advanced as it looks, because the effect of
getting one's way on this issue on society as a whole is rarely
fully taken into account.

	#. He regards society as a machine whose workings can be
improved and proposes tinkering with it.  This is more advanced,
because an attempt is made to see the overall effect.  At this
level of political understanding, the idea arises of making changes
experimentally and seeing how they work out.

	#. Society is a machine whose scientific basis is understood.
No-one has yet really reached this level.  The delusion that one has
understood society often leads to a return to level 2.