(Around 22:50) "A liberal democratic society values liberty and equal respect. Because if you value liberty you value you fellow citizens' liberty. You want them all to have liberty. So you need to give them all equal respect so they can tell you when their liberty is being impinged upon. And truth is the guarantee for equal respect. Because if you want to give those with less power equal respect. Then you have to listen to them. You have to make sure your views about them aren't false. So truth is the sort of leveller between those with less power and those with more power..."
(Around 23:45) "In an authoritarian society (a monarchy for instance)... the main principle is not truth. But the main principle is power... In an authoritarian society people learn to respect power. So in an authoritarian society an authoritarian leader will demonstrate their power by defining reality. So they will be free to define reality so it accords with the ideology that they want you to have... They have a monopoly on truth..."
(Around 33:44) "No one should be running for president of the United States saying that they are a good businessman. Because a business is not run like a democracy. In a democracy, everyone rules. And that's going to mean that there are inefficiencies. Efficiency is a virtue. But it's not a democratic virtue. Autonomy is a democratic virtue... Freedom and efficiency are often at odds. Business is run to minimize freedom and maximize efficiency."
So, what about the church? If we take Jason Stanley's comments about 'business' and 'liberal democracy' and place them on a spectrum, with efficiency and freedom at opposite ends, where would you place church? Is it a community that celebrates individual freedom and autonomy or seeks to maximize efficiency? What's your experience?
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