I think the concept of positive/negative externalities could serve as a north star in deciding the all important question of the appropriate scalevat which a discussion is taken.

While I think we shoild try to empower and give autonomy to the local they always are within a larger community of externalities. The local should also no to inform and defer to a higher scale when their decision is "larger then them".

The local is not thought as isolated or unaccountable, but it is given preference as a scale. We want the local to choose how to live in harmony with the whole and their neighbours.

All this is well but it would be really easy to fall back into the grooves of individualist isolationnist and collectivist absolutist.

I don't think the ideal exist at the middle of these extremes but rather toward tge lower scale without bottoming out