The prescriptive society
Sir: Tibor Szamuely (29 August) is quite right to complain about the 'prescriptive' society and I am sure that all he asks for is that the views of Professor Jensen should be treated with the same respect as those of Professor Rose and discussed openly and freely.
However, there are many people who, I fear, are much more interested in their own point of view being the basis of 'permitted' ways of society and these people come from the ranks of the foes of the permissive society as well as from its friends.
An `open' society or liberal society is very difficult to sustain, but I believe it is possible and indeed in the early part of the 1960s v.e were on the way to achieving something like an 'open' society. Unhappily, the Profumo affair caused the anti-permissives to behave in such a heavy and high-handed manner that the sympathy of many people was transferred to the side of permissiveness as the lesser evil and it is only now that they realise it is a prescrip- tive society of permissiveness not an open society.
Of course, there must be rules and indeed most liberals would say, I think, that the law, though it needs tidying up, re abortion and censorship, is about right and that what is re- quired is a willingness on all sides for an open debate about the issues of the day and for matters to be decided by 'market' forces; such shows as Oh! Calcutta! would not appear if people did not want to see them. Of course, books putting the merits of colonialism should be published so should books showing its faults.
Mr Szamuely quotes George Orwell and indeed Orwell saw clearly the tyranny of pre- scriptive societies, both right and left, and let us never allow ourselves to forget that prescriptive societies can so easily lead to the persecution of those that will not toe the line, South Africa and Russia for example.
David Al. Courage Bridge Cottage, Melbury Osmond, Evershot, Dorset
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