When the tendency to be unobservant is combined with the fanaticism to not see what you’d rather not see, it is almost guaranteed that people won’t notice something really important.
Tag: ethics
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.
If You Support States…
If you preach ethics, but support States, you are being inconsistent. And unethical.
Leaving One’s Moral Compass at the Door
Whenever I hear a government employee, be it a bureaucrat or law enforcer, say anything to the effect of, “I’m just doing my job” as a response to someone criticizing their behavior, my immediate thought is that they’ve seemed to misplace their moral compass.
Words Poorly Used #93 — Legal/Moral
The term “legal” is most often miscarried when it has not been put in the light of a moral origin. This relationship is the first puzzle of humanity.
Judgmentalism, Objectivity and Moral Refinement
When used prudently, far from standing for crude moralizing, judgmentalism indicates moral refinement, manifested in the ability to exercise soft pressure where anything stronger would itself be morally impermissible.
Bordertarians Assume Jurisdictional Claims
The fundamental error made by the bordertarians (closed-border libertarians) is considering the jurisdictional claims made by criminal cabals which style themselves “states” to be legitimate.
Writers Are Gang Members!
Writers, by the act of writing, don’t violate anyone. I can’t force you to read anything I write–nor would I ever consider trying to do so. I can’t force you to shell out money so that I can afford to keep writing—again, why would I do such a disgusting thing?
A Conversation Between Voluntaryists: What’s with IP?
Kilgore and I have had another discussion. This time about intellectual property (IP) laws and their role, if any, in a free society. This topic is not as much of a debate as the last, but still worth having.