:clap: The Boy Owen got there first.

[Burney]

No, my ideas are based on the good of the individual, not the collective. And however successful the Roman Empire, for its slaves and torture victims the system of the day was undeniably sub-optimal, from a scientific viewpoint or otherwise.

For individuals, the benefits of equality of opportunity and basic human rights for all can be objectively observed in, and verified by, science.

Ah. 'The' individual. Where does he live, then? Is he the wealthy slave trader or the poor, abused slave? Because he can't be both.

To talk of 'the individual' is, by its nature, to talk of the collective since you are effectively taking an average of human happiness.

Also, you don't think our way of doing things has its victims? The child in the Cambodian sweatshop or the suicidal worker in the FoxConn tower might not agree. We've just moved the problem out of sight and thus largely out of mind. The benefit you derive is affordable consumer goods and for that you're happy to trade off the misery of someone thousands of miles away. So your equality of opportunity and basic human rights schtick is pretty blinkered and hypocritical. What's more, plenty of people outside our comfy little bubble can see it.