tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758330678390419129.post5421367813547513259..comments2024-02-13T02:39:22.756-05:00Comments on EconomicPolicyJournal.com: Where Ron Paul Might Be WrongRobert Wenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296920597416905488noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758330678390419129.post-85419690811718180202014-07-25T23:11:44.794-04:002014-07-25T23:11:44.794-04:00I'm no philosophy major, but in David Gordon&#...I'm no philosophy major, but in David Gordon's lecture about the political philosophy of Plato, he mentions that in Plato's book, The Republic, there is a discussion between Socrates and some other people, where Socrates explains that the human mind is not unified. <br /><br />The example Dr. Gordon uses to illustrate Socrates' point (Plato's point I suppose) goes like this:<steveZhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00598248557573036202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758330678390419129.post-31784643541778692942014-07-25T21:27:07.023-04:002014-07-25T21:27:07.023-04:00Ron Paul may be Libertarian at heart, but he is a ...Ron Paul may be Libertarian at heart, but he is a registered Republican like many others. <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15502883407482623637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758330678390419129.post-49311944256422656362014-07-25T14:39:48.851-04:002014-07-25T14:39:48.851-04:00"Here I disagree with Nick, I think most peop..."Here I disagree with Nick, I think most people participate in politics whether they hold office or vote or abstain."<br /><br />While I obviously agree that most people participate in politics,but that doesn't make them politicians in the sense that they are actually in positions of power, which was my intended meaning(sitting congressmen, Presidents, etc.). I understand there'Nick Badalamentihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14015961786370759940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758330678390419129.post-73093785266744147882014-07-25T12:51:20.791-04:002014-07-25T12:51:20.791-04:00Thanks to Nick and Steve for thoughtful responses....Thanks to Nick and Steve for thoughtful responses. I am struggling with this issue myself but am serious about a biological imperative for life that is so strong it easily overwhelms ethical or social rules about stealing. And yes I realize that some people may have a lesser biological imperative but this could simply be a biological defect. The logic moving from the idea that all humans want to Brian Ericksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10188778202762603278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758330678390419129.post-14774897005389720122014-07-25T04:20:02.100-04:002014-07-25T04:20:02.100-04:00RW, this is a very thought provoking article.
A f...RW, this is a very thought provoking article.<br /><br />A few quibbles. <br /><br /> Logic is not a prerequisite for libertarianism. Nor does it follow that a logical person would choose not to aggress against non aggressors.<br /><br />I think the point Dr. Paul is trying to make, is the same as the point Walter Block makes on a regular basis; "keep your mitts to yourself." Most steveZhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00598248557573036202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758330678390419129.post-82435040125520039272014-07-25T02:22:42.122-04:002014-07-25T02:22:42.122-04:00Clearly, "We want the world, and we want it n...Clearly, "We want the world, and we want it now!" I'm not sure "biological efficiency" is the right way to put it. It doesn't immediately follow that theft is the best way for human beings to obtain their wants. Even an immoral person can see the benefits of not stealing.<br /><br />It could also be argued that since man is a naturally social animal, and theft is not steveZhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00598248557573036202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758330678390419129.post-16579142603604432822014-07-25T00:05:48.694-04:002014-07-25T00:05:48.694-04:00Brian,
I would like to offer these thoughts on yo...Brian,<br /><br />I would like to offer these thoughts on your comment:<br /><br />You went from suggesting the human desire to "live big on minimal effort and drive for efficiency" "can lead to stealing" to then suggesting later it is a "natural imperative", even suggesting that not having a desire to steal might betray human qualities.<br /><br />See what you did Nick Badalamentihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14015961786370759940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758330678390419129.post-22910743439759782942014-07-24T21:27:12.827-04:002014-07-24T21:27:12.827-04:00While I was never very supportive of Ron Paul'...While I was never very supportive of Ron Paul's political career as I prefer anarchy, if he believes libertarians are born not made he is at least moving in the right direction. There are other laws of human nature besides the law of association and division of labor. I believe the most powerful is what I call the law of biological efficiency. All humans desire to live big on minimal effort Brian Ericksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10188778202762603278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758330678390419129.post-25100874258454492922014-07-24T20:22:44.118-04:002014-07-24T20:22:44.118-04:00I was a 'natural' at computer programming,...I was a 'natural' at computer programming, which means I am naturally logical. Robert J. Ringer's book(s) from 1979 to the mid 1980's first introduced me to libertarian ideas, and since then I always leaned that way. I back-slid for a long time thinking these ideas are hopeless, and not politically practical. I suppose it was Ron Paul that gave me hope again, and it was the gpondhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01013837189187920036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758330678390419129.post-11689052811167647532014-07-24T20:03:17.115-04:002014-07-24T20:03:17.115-04:00libertarianism is the only scientific political vi...libertarianism is the only scientific political view. Everything is derived from basic principle. This is why it appeals to logical thinkers. <br /><br />As to expanding numbers there is a truth to what Ron Paul said, people are born into logical thought but the state exploits emotional thought, nurtures it, grows it. The state intentionally diminishes the numbers of logical thinkers. It gets Jimmy Joe Meekerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09559104650594440766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758330678390419129.post-38511085401539815252014-07-24T19:32:36.844-04:002014-07-24T19:32:36.844-04:00Wikipedia posts the David M Halbfinger February 5,...Wikipedia posts the David M Halbfinger February 5, 2012 NYT article "Ron Paul’s Flinty Worldview Was Forged in Early Family Life". http://tinyurl.com/8ya9q7f<br /><br /><br />From that article, I conclude that it was family life training in morals, meaning virtue, and ethics, meaning relationships with others, that developed the Dr. Paul’s character set of independence, personal theyenguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08515095308836729043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758330678390419129.post-2044252417346616072014-07-24T17:45:08.574-04:002014-07-24T17:45:08.574-04:00What really turned me to anarchy/libertarianism wa...What really turned me to anarchy/libertarianism was Atlas Shrugged then Ron and his books/thinking. I haven't looked back since.<br />I'm a fundamentalist Christian but firmly believe if freedom of choice is good enough for God it should be good enough for men.Miguel D'Anconiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15650695642051943261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758330678390419129.post-3714329686449235652014-07-24T17:08:08.116-04:002014-07-24T17:08:08.116-04:00"They all tend to be very logical, thus, it i..."They all tend to be very logical, thus, it is not surprising that they would be attracted to libertarianism. In fact, most tell me that in the past, although they might not have been full-fledged libertarians, they had libertarian "instincts.""<br /><br />That's me, exactly. For whatever reason I went through three different university's(although much of it night Nick Badalamentihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14015961786370759940noreply@blogger.com