Please explain to me why you find government to be moral and practical.
A tool, in whose hands?
The value, and practicality, of distributive justice over procedural
justice.
I find this is an interesting argument, and I am looking forward to your
reply.
Sincerely,
Waldemar Ingdahl
>>From: Paul Hughes <paul@planetp.cc>
>>Reply-To: extropians@extropy.org
>>To: extropians@extropy.org
>>Subject: Re: META: Why I'm boycotting Extropy(TM).
>>Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2000 00:08:46 -0700
>
>I more or less agree with you, Paul. There is no doubt a near-religious
>fervor and self-righteousness to the way some of the people on this list
>react to challenges to their ideas.
>
>In regards to govt, they are really Luddites, in a sense. I see govt as our
>greatest tool, but one that we must control. If you have a good tool, e.g.,
>electricity, but one with the potential to kill you, if someone is
>careless,
>and is killed by electricity, do you just abandon the tool? I am sure
>there
>were many Luddites in the 19th Cent who called for the abolishment of
>electricity because people were killed by it.
>
>As for the poor, the libertarian anti-gov't freeemarketeers do not seem to
>realize that in a competitive free market system, inherently, half the
>competitiors must wind up in the bottom half, either through their own
>shortcomings, or by dint of *circumstance*. Naturally, those whose
>background and upbringing puts them in the upper half of society
>somehow seem to think that they arrived there by virtue of their own
>personal qualities. How very human.
>
>The freemarketeers seem to take a "let them eat cake" attitude, but seem to
>have forgetten the other side of the coin: The losers in that system still
>have the power to inflict damage upon the winners. Does the phrase "off
>with
>their heads" ring a bell?
>
>You see, the "redistribution of wealth" part of govt is essentially a
>bargain with the losers, in order to keep certain heads upon certain
>shoulders. This the fundamental basis for *most* human rights. Why do
>animals such as the cow seem to be lacking the same rights accorded humans
>beings? Because they *cannot* cut off our frigging heads. Ergo they suffer
>as our slaves. Were they able to take such self-protective actions, they
>would suddenly be accorded all *sorts* of rights. But until then...
>
>However, as a person who wants to live forever, I think libertarian
>freemarketeerism may be an important part of reaching this goal. But it is
>only a tool, subordinate to the ultimate goal. Don't forget that, please.
>Ditch the religion.
>
>THe readers of this list purportedly also want to live forever. Will you so
>willingly *abandon* our most powerful tool? Seize the power, the power of
>the ultimate tool. Turn it to *our* goals. Unless and until we do such, we
>are simply pawns in the grasp of cruel biology.
>
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