Dan Fabulich writes, quoting Robin Hanson:
> > I think that there are large differences in value at play here, and
> > think the prospects of a moral revolution in the libertarian direction
> > anytime soon to be small, and similar in magnitude to prospects of
> > moral revolutions in opposite directions.
>
> I'd actually say that our odds are quite worse than the odds in favor
> of a moral revolution in the opposite direction. Socialism, for
> example, is popular because it is in no way a subtle deduction from a
> basic principle. It's simply a call for "equality," and a revolution
> to bring about a government to enforce equality by any means
> necessary.
I am more optimistic that conditions will be ripe for an increase in
popularity of libertarian ideals. This is due to technological changes
as network communications continue to become more widespread.
The basic libertarian principle, as I see it, is tolerance of others,
respecting their right to be left alone as long as they show similar
respect. This principle is perfectly suited to virtual interactions on
the net.
First, the net brings us into contact with a much wider community of
people from all over the earth. While it is true that we can filter
the net and focus our attention on selected groups, we can't help but
become aware of the wide range of variation which exists. Exposure to
diversity will, I hope, eventually lead to increased tolerance.
Second, because interactions on the net are virtual, they are inherently
consensual. You can't punch someone's nose over the net. Of course there
are exceptions to this, spam and DOS attacks and such, but by and large,
communications over the net provide no role for coercion.
I believe that as people experience more of their interactions via the
net and its future extensions, they will naturally come to experience
and appreciate libertarian principles of tolerance and non-coercion.
With these ideas planted in their minds, the next step will be to try
to apply these same principles in the real world as well.
If we can all get along peacefully in cyberspace, each person doing what
he will without harming others, is it so unreasonable to think that the
same thing can be achieved in physical space as well? Of course there are
many practical difficulties, recognized by libertarians of all stripes,
but achieving the first step of a common philosophical perspective will
be an enormous advance in the desired direction. Once people come to
agree on the goal, we obviously have a much better chance of achieving it.
That's my hope, anyway. It's a long term dream, decades away, but I
believe we will see increased acceptance of libertarian principles as
the years go by.
Hal
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Mon May 28 2001 - 09:50:34 MDT