If there were someone sitting in a government office somewhere controlling the weather, do you think they would serve up weather I like, or weather someone else likes? Maybe we’d all get whatever is dictated by policy. Would some people’s weather preferences be ignored because they aren’t popular?
Tag: consequences
The Subtle Art II
You are not responsible for Mark Manson. You are not responsible for Kilgore Forelle. The sine qua non of voluntaryism is that you only get to enjoy liberties if you are willing to accept, wholly, the consequences that arise from using those liberties.
Does it “Work”?
You can feed this person by making other people hungry. You can make one person feel safer by making everyone less safe. You can pay for someone’s healthcare by making healthcare harder for everyone else to afford.
The Source of Decisions vs. the Sequence of Decisions
In reality, only individuals can ever decide. Only individuals act. Individuals decide to listen to other individuals or ignore them. You can’t change this. To say, “Let the experts/government/market decide” is just a less clear way of saying, “Let individuals decide”. The thing that changes are the consequences and incentives for those individuals. What is really being debated is what happens after an individual decides.
Good to Occasionally Consider “What If?”
Everyone would be smart to consider “what if?” — especially where their beliefs and assumptions are concerned.
The Problem of Living in the Now
Gurus will tell us that we are better off in a state of mindfulness, receiving only the sensory information of the present. Historians insist that we must learn the lessons of the past, else we will be doomed to repeat them. Futurists try to convince us that we should plan meticulously, in order to manage the pain (or pleasure, or ennui) of unforeseen consequences.
The Speech of Heroes
Almost everyone loves the idea of “speaking truth to power.” Standing tall, talking boldly, consequences be damned – how heroic! Yet on reflection, this Speech of Heroes takes two radically different forms.
Courage: Use It While You Have It
Youth gives us some natural boldness and courage. Testosterone helps. Anger or indignation might give us another temporary boost. Desperation drives us to boldness, as does loyalty and protection of those we love. But all of these motivators to courageous action are finite, though. And ignored often enough, they will start to burn less and less brightly.
David Friedman: A Consequentialist Theory of Anarcho-Capitalism (1h47m)
This episode features a lecture by economics professor David Friedman from 2013. He looks at anarcho-capitalist political theory from its consequences in the economy and to society.
Controlled Choice Isn’t School Choice
At the macro level, controlled choice manifests in policies that allow families some degree of choice over their assigned district school, as long as it meets a district’s overall enrollment distribution goals.