Posts in "Philosophy"

David Hoyt's picture
By David Hoyt at 1:32PM

Liberty Radio

b1"Where's our guy on the radio?" you may ask.  

Perhaps surprisingly, "on KNEW San Francisco," I reply.

Bob Zadek hosts a weekly pro-liberty show Sundays at noon, Pacific time.  You can listen live on Sundays here, check out past shows here, and also peruse his wonderful recommended reading list here.

Bonnie Kristian's picture
By Bonnie Kristian at 5:28PM

A libertarian technicality? Maybe. But regardless, here’s minarchism over anarchism.

I realize, of course, the debate this new post from my own blog will likely cause in the comments section -- and I probably won't join in.  Also, to the anarchists in our readership:  You know I like you and many of your ideas quite a lot.  But nonetheless...

Q. You said you believe in minarchism. How do you reply to the claim that taxation is theft?  And furthermore, since you believe in a free market, why would the market not be a good way to run things like the legal system and police forces? It works for everything else, what makes law or police any different? — logicallypositive, from tumblr.

A. Well, I’m not fond of taxation.  The income tax is certainly abusive and unnecessary.  Indeed, I’d prefer to have the government funded in as noncoercive a manner as possible.  I kind of like Ron Paul’s idea of a low, uniform import tariff — or, even better, lottery (with private lotteries legalized, of course).  That’s basically voluntary taxation, which I find completely acceptable.

That said, I’m not an anarchist and do want a nightwatchman state for the protection of person and property.  I’m inclined to think persons smarter than I could figure out a way to fund it without taxation, but, assuming they were fairly applied (not progressive or regressive, for instance) I’m not against the very low taxes which would be required to support such a minimal regime.

Note: Taxation for unjust purposes (aggressive war, corporate or social welfare, etc.) is indeed theft.  But I assume we agree on that point.


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Bonnie Kristian's picture
By Bonnie Kristian at 10:29AM

Education is important. That’s why the government shouldn’t play teacher.

Here's en excerpt from a post I recently wrote on my own blog:

Q. What do you make of the Rawlsian idea of “effective freedom”? If I break my leg and am lying in the gutter with no resources to help myself how am I free? If the state is to tax, shouldn’t health and education be the primary services it owes its citizens as a result of the imposition? Protection of property rights might be the sole concern of the ‘night watchman’ state, but, you know, respect for property rights is free, and I would say an excellent side effect of good education. — ninefruits, from tumblr.

A. I’ve read Rawls, though it’s been a while and his ideas are hardly fresh in my mind.  At any rate, I’ll go question by question:

What do you make of the Rawlsian idea of “effective freedom”? If I break my leg and am lying in the gutter with no resources to help myself how am I free?

How are you not free?  No person is restraining you, and that’s what it is the responsibility of government to stop.  (Of course, if someone or their property has broken your leg and put you in the gutter, that is quite a different story.  But I’m assuming you just tripped over a…wild bird or something which could not possibly be a human crime.)  Basically, this confuses positive rights with freedom, and they are two very different things.


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Zak Slayback's picture
By Zak Slayback at 11:17AM

Ron Paul Schools Anti-Mosque Advocates on Property Rights

Unsurprisingly, Dr. Ron Paul has once again taken a stance that advocates the greatest amount of freedom for the greatest number of people. Dr. Paul argues that the majority has no right to tell the minority where they can and cannot build any kind of building, religious or otherwise. He also makes the very important distinction that many anti-"Ground Zero Mosque" advocates fail to notice: America was attacked by Al-Qaeda on 9/11, not Islam. 

Dr. Paul rips CNN and Anti-Mosque advocates a new one in this interview on A.C. 360.

Note how CNN attempted to goad Dr. Paul into taking a stance on the building itself.

Oh yeah, Dr. Paul is taking a different stance than his son Rand here (and Jack Conway), going as far as to call anti-Mosque advocates "sunshine patriots."

You go, Dr. Paul.

Matt Cockerill's picture
By Matt Cockerill at 7:48PM

MLK's Niece Rebuffs NAACP for Glenn Beck

The Daily Caller reports,

Alveda King, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s niece and one of Glenn Beck’s Restoring Honor rally’s keynote speakers, said if her uncle were alive today, he’d choose to attend the Aug. 28 rally that “demonstrates the spirit of love and unity and peace.”

I'm no fan of 'Dr.' King. But it's true that his most famous and noble pronouncement, that a person be judged "not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character," is a message of individualism, not the racial redistributionism/victimology of NAACP.

Creighton Harrington's picture
By Creighton Harrington at 8:30AM

The Ground Zero Mosque and Democracy

Democracy: When 51% can take the rights of the other 49. 

This mosque fiasco is a perfect example of the tyranny of the majority.  I don't even believe that this majority believes they are being benevolent -- how could they?  There is no way people can be so animalistic and strightforward with hate and at the same time think they are fighting for justice (did anyone else see the older lady in the red screaming during a townhall-like meeting?).

At first, I was hesitant to support the building, but no more.  This thing needs to be built; it is no longer about Islamic public relations (which is what I thought the intial intention was), but a fight for the very liberties Americans claim to hold dear.  Islamic and sexual-orientation freedom are, in my view, the civil rights movement of our generation.


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Bonnie Kristian's picture
By Bonnie Kristian at 4:27PM
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Zak Slayback's picture
By Zak Slayback at 10:23AM

America Says: Read Ayn Rand

Well...sort of:

Read

A man -- Nick Newcomen -- drew this by driving across thirty states with a GPS device. Yes, that's right, by driving across thirty states. Now that's a Randian if I ever saw one. Perhaps Canada ought to read "Who is John Galt?" next.

Kudos to wired.

Nick Leavens's picture
By Nick Leavens at 6:42PM

Constitutional Conservatism vs. Libertarianism

Rand Paul

Rand Paul has an op-ed in Tuesday's USA Today, in which he describes himself as a "constitutional conservative." The title of the piece is, "Rand Paul, libertarian? Not quite," but Dr. Paul fails to distinguish any dissimilarity between the being a constitutional conservative or libertarian. No matter what political philosophy Dr. Paul subscribes to (Note:  His father, Congressman Ron Paul, also identifies as being a constitutional conservative), it seems as if he's trying to shed the tag of libertarian because it's become a polarized word:

It's often repeated in stories about me or my race for U.S. Senate that I am a "libertarian." In my mind, the word "libertarian" has become an emotionally charged, and often misunderstood, word in our current political climate. But, I would argue very strongly that the vast coalition of Americans — including independents, moderates, Republicans, conservatives and "Tea Party" activists — share many libertarian points of view, as do I.

A recent unscientific poll taken via the Young Americans for Liberty Facebook page showed that out of 47 participants, 35 described themselves as subscribing to a libertarian political orientation. Conservatism and liberalism both netted 5 votes, and there were 2 votes for "other." What do you think, if any, are the main differences between libertarianism and constitutional conservatism?

Dan John's picture
By Dan John at 6:02PM

7 Reasons Why Libertarians Are More "Progressive" than Social Liberals

Socialists claim to be "more progressive" than conservatives. This may be true, but libertarians are far more progressive than both sides.  Libertarians value both economic and social freedoms, while the right only bothers with the former and the left with the latter.  Libertarianism promotes the virtures of self-sufficency, individual liberty, a peaceful and mature foreign policy, and equal individual and economic freedom for all.  Here are seven detailed reasons why libertarians are the true progressives:

7.  Socialists believe that government is the answer to everything. It is the all-knowing, all-powerful, authoratarian ruler of all. By contrast, libertarians believe that individuals have the right and responsibility to govern themselves.

6. The left is famous to dividing people into  "minority" groups. This creates segragation. Libertarians contend that all should have equal rights -- their sexual orientation, race, gender, eye color, hair color, or favorite flavor of ice cream are secondary to the fact that they are individuals.


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