Is “Free Election” an Oxymoron?

American leaders and their loyal media pundits love to sit in judgment of other countries’ election, declaring them fair or rigged according to their seemingly meticulous standards. In fact, the real standard is that the regimes “we” like hold free and fair (enough) elections, while the regimes “we” dislike don’t. What about regimes “we” like that hold no elections at all, like Saudi Arabia? They are forgotten whenever the loveliness of democracy is the topic of discussion.

Drug Abuse Stupid But Prohibition Evil

Beyond rights I care about the most, you have the right to do things that don’t interest me at all, or things I don’t like. As long as “it neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg,” as Thomas Jefferson said — nor the pockets or legs of anyone else — I support your right to live as you wish. I don’t care who it offends; there is no right to not be offended.

Moral Relativism and Moral Fanaticism

What exactly is moral fanaticism?  Like moral relativism, moral fanaticism is a meta-ethical theory – a theory about moral facts and moral reasoning.  Moral relativism says, roughly, that there are no moral facts, and moral “reasoning” is just thinly-veiled emoting.  Moral fanaticism, in contrast, affirms that there are moral facts, but pretends that thinly-veiled emoting is ironclad moral reasoning.