Analog January 1988 [antikvár]

iditoridMATTERS OF PRINCIPLEStanley SchmidtAlmost everyone claims to believe, and a good many actually do, that a "person of principle" is one of the better things a person can be. Few would deny that a person who has clear ideas of what is right or wise, and consistently acts in accordance with those ideas, is more likely than one who doesn't to interact beneficially with other individuals and the civilization in which he lives.But is it always desirable or beneficial for individuals, corporations, or governments to act in strict accord with the principles they believe in? Probably not. if someone happens to believe in a "bad" principle, such as "Exterminate thine enemies." But what about a principle that almost everybody agrees is a good one? Is it possible to be too rigidly conscientious about acting in accordance with such a principle?The idea that open competition in a free market is good for the economy and good for consumers is a principle very widely accepted in this country. It sounds good to me, too, as a general thing. A monopoly is potentially quite dangerous, and in most cases I suspect I have a better chance of getting fair prices and good merchandise or service if the guy who doesn't want to provide them has to worry about competition from someone who does. That was, at least ostensibly, a large part of the rationale behind the recent breakup of "Ma Bell" and the deregulation of airlines.How are tho.se working out?Admittedly, any significant change takes a while to settle down into a new equilibriumbut these changes have been around long enough that one mightAnalog Science Fiction!Science Fact