... an essential feature of a decent society, and an almost defining feature of a democratic society, is relative equality of outcome - not opportunity, but outcome. Without that you can't seriously talk about a democratic state... These concepts of the common good have a long life. They lie right at the core of classical liberalism, of Enlightenment thinking... Like Aristotle, [Adam] Smith understood that the common good will require substantial intervention to assure lasting prosperity of the poor by distribution of public revenues.

There is no western concern for issues of aggression, atrocities, human rights abuses and so on if there's a profit to be made from them

Its true that contemporary technology permits decentralization, it also permits centralization. It depends on how you use the technology.

I have written occasionally on links between my scientific work and political thinking, but not much, because the links seem to me abstract and speculative.

With regard to freedom of expression there are basically two positions: you defend it vigorously for views you hate, or you reject it in favor of Stalinist/Fascist standards.

You've just got to get people organized and tell them the truth. There aren't any magic tricks to it. You know, sometimes it's pretty amazing. Actually, I mentioned a pretty striking case of this in "Crisis and Hope," which was the Caterpillar case in the early 1990s.

South America goes its own way dramatically in international affairs.