{"id":1261,"date":"2026-08-04T06:19:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T12:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/?p=1261"},"modified":"2026-07-19T15:44:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T21:44:40","slug":"conflict-of-visions-a-book-review-part-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/2026\/08\/04\/conflict-of-visions-a-book-review-part-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"Conflict of Visions: A Book Review- Part II"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2><em>The Unconstrained and Constrained Visions of Social Processes, Equality, and Power<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/conflict-visions-pic-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1262\" width=\"339\" height=\"505\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/conflict-visions-pic-1.png 380w, https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/conflict-visions-pic-1-201x300.png 201w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 339px) 100vw, 339px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-latest-posts__list wp-block-latest-posts\"><li><a class=\"wp-block-latest-posts__post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/2026\/08\/04\/conflict-of-visions-a-book-review-part-ii\/\">Conflict of Visions: A Book Review- Part II<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"wp-block-latest-posts__post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/2026\/07\/28\/conflict-of-visions-a-book-review-part-i\/\">Conflict of Visions: A Book Review- Part I<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"wp-block-latest-posts__post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/2026\/07\/21\/collectivism-vs-community\/\">Collectivism vs. Community<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"wp-block-latest-posts__post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/2026\/07\/14\/testify-to-what\/\">Testify to What?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"wp-block-latest-posts__post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/2026\/07\/07\/just-a-spell-too-far\/\">Just a Spell Too Far<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This a three-part series on \u201c<\/em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Conflict-Visions-Ideological-Political-Struggles\/dp\/0465002056\/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2UI2QIHNJCCYP&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.k2KxyVHpxEOmJ7XA1VDwZwAo8iAC6sBnQx4uPh1rwn5lWhraeQ9ZCfH58xdGEW38wU3D2GimuPdZfKWkdJ2ZWsaQf8rHk8aNDcREzAH8MNqilIxeRjPMhW_f8J4wZGy8VSKYheli5cDerUVfmeGi22UcujNh-2ZhNXD6dpW00TAVkEC1sUmHukcbBuqZfTQ-JbGP2eJ25GOxyeLmhW_dHy6nWdIBM37WxrRKkHpIWIQ.waGTOBNF3byDoQzUBr5Xz-9gdsRWZd7hIbtsJFaLpBM&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=conflict+of+visions&amp;qid=1779668751&amp;sprefix=conflict%2Caps%2C218&amp;sr=8-1\"><em>Conflict of Visions<\/em><\/a><em>\u201d by Thomas Sowell. It is split into the following categories of the way in which the <\/em><strong><em>unconstrained<\/em><\/strong><em> vision and the <\/em><strong><em>constrained<\/em><\/strong><em> view these subjects:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Part I: Human nature, Knowledge and Reason<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Part II: Social Processes, Equality, Power<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Part III: Freedom, Justice<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>As with anything else, most desire thriving among those close to them. To arrive there, agreement is often hard to find among those with differing views on how to arrive. Here, we see how the <strong><em>constrained<\/em><\/strong> and <strong><em>unconstrained<\/em><\/strong> visions differ in their view on social processes, equality, and power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Social Processes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the <strong><em>unconstrained<\/em><\/strong> vision, changes in human nature are the scenery itself, rather than just the costume. And only sweeping changes are deemed appropriate for the future. In the <strong><em>constrained<\/em><\/strong> vision, changes in human history are differences in costumes. It is the same fractured nature replaying itself in various new ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the <strong><em>unconstrained<\/em><\/strong> vision, Loyalty, promises, patriotism, gratitude, precedent, oaths of fidelity, constitutions, marriage, social traditions, and international treaties are constrictions imposed earlier when knowledge was less, on options to be exercised later, when knowledge will be greater. In the <strong><em>constrained<\/em><\/strong> vision, true government requires more skill and experience than any one person can possess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Comparisons between the morally and intellectually superior to the average person are commonplace in the <strong><em>unconstrained<\/em><\/strong> vision. The most outstanding individuals, intellectually or morally, are inherently limited in their capacity for knowledge in the <strong><em>constrained<\/em><\/strong> vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the <strong><em>unconstrained<\/em><\/strong> vision, human nature is a variable, and variables can change. Obstacles to progress are to be overcome by the commitment, intelligence, and imagination of those who have grasped the possibilities open to society. Understanding human nature\u2019s limitations is foundational to the <strong><em>constrained<\/em><\/strong> vision. Those in the <strong><em>constrained<\/em><\/strong> vision see outcomes as a function of incentives presented to individuals and conditions under which they interact in response to those incentives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Best results should be sought directly in the <strong><em>unconstrained<\/em><\/strong> vision. When there are equality of results among those who have contributed, abstained, and hampered production, it strikes offense to the equality of process among those with the <strong><em>constrained<\/em><\/strong> vision. If a foot race is conducted under fair conditions, the result each time does not define justice in the <strong><em>constrained<\/em><\/strong> vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the <strong><em>unconstrained<\/em><\/strong> vision, human capabilities permit social decisions to be made collectively through the articulated rationality of surrogate decision makers. In the <strong><em>constrained<\/em><\/strong> vision, decisions are to be made collectively through a composite of the average many, rather than the elite few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4><em>What is justice and liberty, and how do we solve the issue of poverty? Here are the differences among the visions:<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h3><em>Unconstrained<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><em>Justice<\/em>&#8211; something is just or unjust based on the end results that occur.<\/li><li><em>Liberty<\/em>&#8211; results maximize scope of choice of individuals, often leading to advantages to those whose social backgrounds would handicap them in competition.<\/li><li><em>Poverty<\/em>&#8211; subsidize them to produce a more desirable result in the form of higher living.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3><em>Constrained<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><em>Justice<\/em>&#8211; adherence to agreed-upon rules.<\/li><li><em>Liberty<\/em>&#8211; freedom from coercion and arbitrary power of other men.<\/li><li><em>Poverty<\/em>&#8211; Provide incentives to succeed individually.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>Equality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Attempts to equalize economic results leads to inequality in political power. Where achieving equal economic process limits centralized power because everyone must play by the same rules. Disagreement does not rely on degree of inequality, but what is to be equalized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the <strong><em>unconstrained<\/em><\/strong> vision, equality is achieved through results. Equality of opportunity means equalized probabilities of achieving given results. If the process given doesn\u2019t produce equal results, then the process must be changed to maximize equal results for individuals. In the <strong><em>constrained<\/em><\/strong> vision, equality is achieved through process. As long as everyone is treated the same and operate under the same set of rules, the process is equal, resulting in equality having been achieved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those in the <strong><em>unconstrained<\/em><\/strong> vision believe some have little because others have much. There are finite resources. Those in the <strong><em>constrained<\/em><\/strong> vision believe consequences of decisions cause one to have little or much. Incentives drive this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Equalizing material conditions of life are to be equalized under the influence of power of those with intellectual and moral superiority, according to the <strong><em>unconstrained<\/em><\/strong> vision. And according to the <strong><em>constrained<\/em><\/strong> vision, discretion is to be equally and individually exercised as often as possible under the boundaries of traditions and values derived from the widely shared experience of the many rather than special articulation of the few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Power<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To reduce the chances of war, in the eyes of the <strong><em>unconstrained<\/em><\/strong> vision, lean on the morally superior, communicate with enemies better, reduce arms seen as a threat to peace, and de-emphasize patriotism. To reduce the chances of war, in the eyes of the <strong><em>constrained<\/em><\/strong> vision, have military maximally prepared, promote patriotism, make adversaries aware of your military might, negotiate only when it can be done so without blackmail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For crime, William Godwin said, \u201cIt is impossible that a man would perpetrate a crime in the moment when he sees it in all its enormity.\u201d People are forced to commit crimes for specific reasons, poverty, discrimination, and unemployment. Therefore, reducing such reasons would reduce crime to those with the <strong><em>unconstrained<\/em><\/strong> vision. For crime, the <strong><em>constrained<\/em><\/strong> vision rests in the belief that it is axiomatic humans will be given to criminal nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4><em>Governmental Power?<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong><em>Unconstrained<\/em>:<\/strong> Governmental power in economics: it is a matter of <em>intentions.<\/em><\/li><li><strong><em>Constrained:<\/em><\/strong>Governmental power in economics: it is a matter of <em>incentives.<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In the <strong><em>unconstrained<\/em><\/strong> vision, power is to be seen as limited by intellectual elite through socially desirable results within man\u2019s capabilities. In the <strong><em>constrained<\/em><\/strong> vision, power is to be seen as one reducing other\u2019s options. It is not within man\u2019s capabilities to monitor a myriad of individual results of behavior. Therefore, efforts must focus on restrictions of power, thereby restricting the ability of some to reduce other\u2019s options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet again, we see the pattern that both visions long for people among them to thrive in every possible avenue. The mechanisms of how and who decide distinguish the two visions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the next and last part, we will look a little closer at the ways in which the two visions disagree on freedom and justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stay Classy GP!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Grainger<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Unconstrained and Constrained Visions of Social Processes, Equality, and Power This a three-part series on \u201cConflict of Visions\u201d by Thomas Sowell. It is split into the following categories of the way in which the unconstrained vision and the constrained view these subjects: Part I: Human nature, Knowledge and Reason Part II: Social Processes, Equality, &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/2026\/08\/04\/conflict-of-visions-a-book-review-part-ii\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Conflict of Visions: A Book Review- Part II&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0},"categories":[72,6,4,5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1261"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1261"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1261\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1267,"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1261\/revisions\/1267"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}