I had a lot to do, much of it outside my ability, much of it costly, and I had a few grand I could put on my personal credit card and that was it. The idea for Praxis wasn’t fundable yet, and I didn’t even know what the letters “VC” meant anyway, let alone how to go raise. But I didn’t need any of that because I had something far more valuable. I had dozens of accounts with positive balances of social capital, and it was time to cash them in.
Tag: action
Words Poorly Used #95 — Obligation
In a recent Socrates Cafe of Louisville, we voted to deliberate the old chestnut, “can there be a just war?” Why we did this, I don’t know. Maybe we hoped this time would be different, wherein we would come up with a no nonsense answer. Foiled again.
Lessons from Building Praxis – Part 4
Ever heard that riddle about whether you should take a million dollars or a penny, doubled each day for a month? Take the penny. You’ll end up with $1.3M if it’s a 28-day month, and as much as $10.7M if it’s a 31-day month. Doubling is extreme, but even growth of a fraction of a percent compounded every single day can achieve mind-boggling results. When you’re trying to go from idea to inception, progress each day is crucial. You can’t get stuck waiting for one big leap. You need to take at least one step every single day.
Socialism Is Dead; Participatory Fascism Has Triumphed
Unlike full-fledged socialism, which leads to totalitarian rule, mass poverty and economic decay, participatory fascism not only placates people’s wish to participate in the formal process of government decision-making but also permits private entrepreneurs enough room for maneuver that they can in some cases get rich; also enough that they can keep national output at a tolerably high level and in some cases even generate positive economic growth.
The Secret to Interpersonal Happiness
Let’s take a brief look at the ill-intentioned way of seeing things, then go into what I believe will transform most people’s interpersonal happiness — the good-hearted view.
An Obligation to Comply?
Do you believe you have an obligation to comply with “the law”? How far do you believe your obligation extends? Only to those “laws” you agree with, or all of them? What about “laws” which would require you to do something you know is wrong, or “laws” which would forbid you to do something right?
Selfish Reasons for Civilized Behavior
The nihilist in me isn’t too interested in moralizing to my children about right and wrong. Yes, I believe in ethics and morality, but no, I do not believe that we are obligated to anyone but ourselves to be good and moral people. If we aren’t obligated to anyone but ourselves, then any reason why find to be good and moral must necessarily be selfish. Right? I think so. And after polling some friends on what they considered “civilized behavior,” here are some actions and the selfish reasons to perform them.
On Property and Aggression
Rights are not metaphysical entities. No pathologist finds them during an autopsy. In a sense, they are conventions, but by that, I do not mean they are arbitrary. They are conventions much in the same way that David Hume saw the virtue of justice, which he equated with respect for property.
Anything But Original Appropriation is Nonsensical
Ultimately, whatever property conventions people voluntary decide to respect amongst each other is or should be acceptable for the voluntaryist. However, until there is a meeting of the minds between individuals concerning property conventions, how should conflicts over property claims be judged? In my opinion, they should be judged on the basis of original appropriation, and anything else is nonsensical.
Meaningful Learning Is Just-in-Time, Not Just-in-Case
Average people learn what they need to avoid pain. Elite people learn what they need to get the grade, ace the test, win the award, gain certification, impress people, and obtain honors. Ascendant people don’t care about accolades or awards or tests or stickers or stars. They learn exactly what’s needed to solve a problem that matters to them, exactly when it’s needed. No more, no less. No sooner, no later.