"In essence, we're headed towards economic and financial bankruptcy. But.... what's happening today is much more serious than an economic bankruptcy... We're talking about psychological and spiritual bankruptcy... America is not the first to start with moral failure and move on to economic failure. In all the examples history provides, economic bankruptcy and political tyranny are invariably preceded by moral bankruptcy...

It's been said that power corrupts, and that's true. But it's more to the point to say that the corrupt seek power... From the perspective of political morality, I'd say the most useful dichotomy may be people who want to control the material world vs. those who want to control other people."

-- Doug Casey

There are three basic personality types: producer, parasite, and predator. Producers are the builders and sustainers of society, always under attack by parasites and predators. If left unchecked, the latter eventually overwhelm the former and the society collapses.

Each of these types operates with a completely different set of moral values. The notions of "right" and "wrong" which appear self-evident to the producer simply do not apply to either the parasite or the predator. The producer finds it difficult to comprehend this and therefore fails to devise adequate defenses. The moral arguments against fraud, theft, rape, and murder which are effective restraints within the producer class are simply scorned and derided by the others who see them as signs of weakness and vulnerability in their prey.

Skilled predators maneuver themselves into positions of dominance, with support from their ignorant parasite allies. Together they work to destabilize the producer herd for easier feeding. Is it any wonder that society always appears on the brink of chaos?