Using laws to solve problems is like using a sawed-off shotgun to take out a bad guy in the middle of a crowd; firing at him from too far away. Sure, if your aim is true you may get him, but how many innocents will be harmed along with him? Even one is too many.
Tag: death
The Dangers of an Unvaccinated Mind
As bad as the worst diseases to have plagued humankind have been, there is something that is far more vicious, cruel, savage, monstrous and deadly than a bad disease: A bad idea. Infectious diseases can spread quickly through an unvaccinated or otherwise uninoculated population, resulting in the suffering and death of many. The vaccine of bad ideas is free speech.
President Trump, Please Free Ross Ulbricht
There is no universe in which life without the possibility of parole is a reasonable penalty for the crime of running a web site. Especially a web site which arguably reduced both drug-related street crime and death by drug overdose.
The Social Benefits of Hipsters
Through all their creativity – which may after be driven out of arrogance or snottiness – hipsters deliver a massive benefit to their societies. They bring back some magic into the mundane, and they bring new life to the parts of our world that might otherwise die slow deaths.
Statists against Humanity
One objection to a free society that statists frequently grasp at is their claim that without government control (“laws”, “taxes”), no one would help others. Or at least, there wouldn’t be “enough” help to go around. This is so ridiculous that it doesn’t even need to be addressed, but I will anyway.
You Are Surrounded by Alternate Universes
I don’t see a lot of evidence for the actual existence of alternate universes. That sort of thing seems to be beyond the possibility of proving, almost by definition. But there is a metaphorical sense in which choices add up to make alternate universes. We get to see the results of the choices we didn’t make in the other people who did make them. In other words, other people = alternate universes.
Easy Work Is Hard Work Smartly Applied
When someone says “I live a balanced and healthy life”, that means something like “I don’t spend all my time and energy doing income-related activities. In addition to working hard at my job, I also work hard at staying fit, eating healthy, spending time with family, making room for my hobbies, attending birthday parties, and other things that are important to me.” That’s not the opposite of hard work. That’s the definition of smart work.
Smokey Bear: Enemy Agent
Smokey Bear and his propaganda campaign illustrate the danger of government perfectly. Use a memorable way to promote bad policy. The bad policy then causes damage which makes the original problem worse, which causes people to believe government (and its bad policy) is necessary to protect from the consequences of government policy.
Credentialed Experts: Protectors of the Sacred Dogma
Credentialed Experts are not at the forefront of innovation and discovery, driving truth forward. Their job is to tell a story about the past that doesn’t threaten the present and stymies the future. The process of winning the credential itself is a trial intended to prove how effectively you imbibe and re-enforce the dominant dogma of the academy, or “The Republic of Science”.
The Trouble with Abundance
Humans aren’t evolved to have or handle abundance. Our nature has a very hard time dealing with abundance. Our abilities, desires, motivations, tools, and everything about us were forged in an evolutionary history of extreme scarcity. What we are evolved for is the journey of survival in the face of scarcity, not the destination of contentment in the face of abundance.