There is a great moral difference between supporting the lesser evil and avoiding the greater evil. To support the lesser evil is to condone evil, which is a morally reprehensible act. On the other hand, to avoid the greater evil is a legitimate act of self-defence.
Category: Substituting Liberty for Power
Statism and War Are One and the Same
Statism and war are one and the same. What is usually called “war” is nothing but statism taken to its ultimate conclusion. And what is usually called “statism” is nothing but war stopped short of reaching its ultimate conclusion.
“Redistributive” vs. Libertarian Egalitarianism
The only equality achievable by “redistributive” egalitarianism is equality of disrespect, where the “haves” are treated as permanently exploitable slaves, and the “have-nots” as permanently useless wretches. On the other hand, the only equality achievable by libertarian egalitarianism is equality of respect, where the “haves” are free to enjoy their personal well-being, and the “have-nots” are free to pursue it. In other words, “redistributive” egalitarianism makes equality a guarantee of misery, while libertarian egalitarianism makes it a window of hope: that is, the only thing that it can be if it is to be something good.
Socialism: Even Worse in Theory Than in Practice
Even those who harbor no illusions about communism and socialism often make the mistake of dignifying those doctrines by calling them “beautiful theories” or “beautiful utopias”. This is a rather embarrassing mistake, especially coming from those who possess the relevant theoretical knowledge.
The Great Commandment and the Harmony of Interests
“Love your neighbor as yourself” is the most appropriate attitude toward another person. In contrast to all kinds of collectivist and altruist attitudes, it does not require elevating another person over oneself and renouncing self-love, that is, treating oneself as a significant end in itself.
Defense as a Private Good in a Competitive Order
Abstract: In this paper, I attempt to provide a comprehensive demonstration that, contrary to popular opinion, there is nothing inherent in defense that makes it belong to the category of common goods, thus indicating that its effective provision does not require the existence of a territorial monopoly of force, and could be satisfactorily delivered in…
A Realistically Optimistic Scenario for the Future
1. The exponential development of the global Internet culture, intensifying global migration processes, and the rapid development of communication and transaction technologies will jointly result – sooner than most would anticipate – in the dissolution and eventual disappearance of the presently dominant nationalistic, “patriotic”, and other worldviews based on morally arbitrary, tribal divisions. 2. The…
With Cautious Optimism
Bitcoin, 3D printing, independent online learning, charter cities, increasing cultural interconnection, optimistic prospects for seasteading, growing black market entrepreneurship, boom in homeschooling, growing distrust of state-sactioned media, unsustainable state debt. A confluence of positive factors is setting the stage for the development of a voluntary society and for the gradual withering away of the burdensome,…
10 Reasons Why Libertarianism is the Way of the Future
1. It is the only social philosophy that places the highest value on the only common characteristic of all thinking beings – individual liberty. 2. It is the only social philosophy that takes individual rights seriously, consistently refusing to sacrifice them in the name of collective moral and legal fictions. 3. It is the only…
Libertarianism, Coercion, and Lifeboat Situations
Is libertarianism a deontological or a consequentialist theory? It can be either, but it can also be both, which, as far as I’m concerned, is the best way to think about it. Does libertarianism say that it is immoral and criminal to use coercion against peaceful individuals in the so-called “lifeboat situations” (e.g., unless I…