A Left Libertarian Manifesto.

So if this is the culprit why not abolish income disparity? You think income equality would not be a material source for coercive power?

Who would do this? We would have to give them money too, and they would have to use that money to increase their power. A bit circular, don’t you think?

I’d rather promote people’s empowerment.

Notice I said exactly. Requesting for a detailed explanation. Here is your non-sequitur.

Explain how one follows from the other, without having to amend your whole position.

One does not have the means to coerce people without also having the resources to do so.

Clever ruse, but it didn’t work. (I’ll grant you that we’re talking about wealth inequality. “income” in this sense is an improper label.")

And what manner of empiricism are you employing to come to this conclusion historically.

Generally surveying the power and economic structures of past societies and their relationship to the prosperity and/or progress of said societies.

One example is the plague. It killed a lot of people. This was terrible. But what occured because of it was a massive change in the general person’s bargaining power against the empowered class. This provided access to a lot of wealth for the common man, which equalized power, comparably. This gave more people more time for non-laborly pursuits. This rising “middle class” was largely the source of the enlightenment and the later democratic movements and the industrial revolution. “First you get the money, then you get the women, then you get the power.” ~Tony Montana (I think)

Of course I have to ascribe a moral/ethical state of betterment to the enlightenment, the democratic revolutions, and the industrial revolution, but I’m fine with that charge.

I thought you asked whats the point of the system? (The system being capitalism)

Increased material well-being is the answer.

As to whether equality is or isn’t conductive to it, First I’d have to say what do you mean by equality? But in the Marxist sense, I’d say not.

Then would you be so kind as to clarify what you mean by equality? The OP talks of income equality. Are you now trying to sidestep this?

Would you be so kind as to continue the discussion on the post Angurse provided? I am salivating at the mouth to hear your response!

Here.

Scott, what is the point of believing in objective values you cannot prove or even define?

I agree with this statement; just because something ought to be legal - or is allowed according to libertarian theory - doesn’t mean that people can’t consider it a problem, where we have problems with, problems that could be called ‘moral’ problems.

I think there is a tendency with some to deny the fact that something could be considered a problem, just because we deny that force is justified to change that problem. I consider some ways that people raise their children problematic, but it doesn’t follow that I would want to advocate force to change that situation. Of course, my problem with that isn’t praxeological or true a priori, but that doesn’t mean that reasons can’t be given why I think it’s problematic and a rational debate can be made possible. Just because something isn’t true a priori, doesn’t mean it isn’t true or relevant.

That’s why I had a thread advocating the distinction between social and political philosophy and trying to emphasize that libertarians would profit from a social philosophy as well.

First, you have to define what moral is. Second, you have to ask how, if I have free will, I am able to be immoral with myself. And you have to answer the questions Scott can’t answer intelligently (no one can) how you can claim I am doing something wrong with my life, my property, my body.

I maintain, anything voluntary is moral. No one has refuted this yet. No one will without making up logical fallacies.

Who specifically does this? Can you name them and source proof?

Who cares what you consider problematic? It is their life not yours!

You’re welcome to sit around with your friends who care to listen, and judge other people’s lives, but the fact that you have something to say, doesn’t mean you have the authority to be listened to.

Subjective opinions have truth value and relevance to the people who hold those subjective opinions, but subjective opinions (oughts) shouldn’t be confused with objective truth (is).

It’s flawed reasoning for you to assume that just because people don’t have your social values, they lack any at all. People profit from what they value, not from what you or Scott or any other busy body liberal thinks they should value.

“First, you have to define what moral is.”

<= How do you define it? The relationship between political philosophy, moral philosophy, ethics and philosophy of law isn’t clear cut. One could argue that ‘moral actions’ are actions people ought to do. And you can distinguish those actions between actions that can be enforceable by law and ones that cannot be. Immoral actions are actions that people ought not to do. Some ‘ought nots’ can be enforced by law - one ought not rape someone else, this is immoral - and some shouldn’t be enforceable by law - ‘one ought not not help someone in dying need, if it’s at a low cost to him self’.

I’ve got a problem with the fact my toilet doesn’t work. I have certain feelings about it. These feelings, in every day lingo, isn’t usually called ‘moral’ in any specific way. I also got a problem with how some people treat other people, certain acts of abortion, certain acts of parenting, etc. These feelings are often called ‘moral’, because people talk about those things in ways of ‘ought’ and ‘ought not’. Of course, these are different ‘ought’ and ‘ought nots’ as the ones claimed by libertarian philosophy, that just limits what actions can be enforced by the use of force. Somethings can be considered ‘oughts’ without anyone can use force to enforce it. Take, for example, ‘helping someone in dying need’ - an accident, someone drowning when you are a life guard of duty, calling the cops when you see someone getting robbed. People call that a moral obligation to help those people, but it’s not enforceable by law (and that’s how it should be.)

“Second, you have to ask how, if I have free will, I am able to be immoral with myself. And you have to answer the questions Scott can’t answer intelligently (no one can) how you can claim I am doing something wrong with my life, my property, my body.”

<= I don’t think one can be immoral against oneself. But you deny that something can be called immoral if it’s ‘with your life, property and body’. This seems to depend on your definition of morality. I’ve given mine, so please show me yours. Or do you just define ‘voluntary = moral’? Which makes this a semantic discussion. Anyway, if we consider that some moral oughts can exist whilst at the same time not enforceable by law, than yes, voluntary (inter) actions can be called immoral. Take, for example, the wife that stays with her husband even though he (psychologically) mistreats her. Do you call this voluntary? If so, than yes, this would be an example of a voluntary relationship between 2 people, where there are immoral acts. Just because the wife - given her options - voluntarily chooses to accept the life she has, doesn’t mean the man isn’t abusive or immoral. Another example is, again, not helping someone in dying need, even though you can very easily. This would be an immoral act.

Note that ‘moral’ and ‘immoral’ here aren’t as logically necessary as I consider the (libertarian) natural law position, which is undeniably true. But just as history and thymology are sciences, however sciences that aren’t true a priori and require empiricism, so are some moral questions not necessarily true a priori and depend on more contingent evaluations. One standard use for moral philosophy is to consider ‘oughts’ what helps social life in general and what ought hampers it - even though it cannot be enforced per se. A rule-utilitarian moral philosophy, sort of speak. And the rule ‘helping people in dying need at low cost to your self’ seems like a good moral rule, even though it’s not necessarily true a priori.

I’m not sure if these examples match your sentence of ‘how can you claim I’m doing something wrong with my own body’, because the sentence was a bit cryptic. Maybe try and give some examples yourself? What kind of actions do you think some people might find immoral, but you do not.

“I maintain, anything voluntary is moral. No one has refuted this yet. No one will without making up logical fallacies.”

<= So, again, how do you define ‘moral’ and why does it follow that ‘anything voluntary is moral’? Not helping someone in dying need is voluntary. Would you call this a moral act? How about the wife knowing that her husbands beats their children, but remains silent. Is she acting moral, because she’s voluntarily not telling anyone? These are 2 examples of something I would call immoral, but are voluntary actions on part of the relevant actor, given my definition of morality. Could you explain in depth your vision on this?

Could you give some other examples of things that are voluntary, but some people ‘might’ consider immoral?

“You’re welcome to sit around with your friends who care to listen, and judge other people’s lives, but the fact that you have something to say, doesn’t mean you have the authority to be listened to.”

<= That is true. (Moral) authority doesn’t come from ‘I have something to say’. Who’s claiming otherwise?

I don’t get the hostility in your posts, really. Nobody is saying ‘we should force people to do whatever the fuck we like and we should force them not to do shit we don’t like!!!’ You do realize that, right?

“Subjective opinions have truth value and relevance to the people who hold those subjective opinions, but subjective opinions (oughts) shouldn’t be confused with objective truth (is).”

<= Well, preaching to the choir, right there.

"It’s flawed reasoning for you to assume that just because people don’t have your social values, they lack any at all. "

<= That’s actually a misrepresentation of my view. I do not think people here don’t have social values. I only think that libertarians should talk social philosophy - as I defined it there - as well as political philosophy. I gave a whole explanation why I think libertarianism would profit from it in the relevant thread. I’m not saying ‘we don’t have social values’. I’m saying ‘let’s talk social values, because I know everyone here has them’.

“I maintain, anything voluntary is moral. No one has refuted this yet. No one will without making up logical fallacies.”

Which can only be defended by relativism which is logically contradictory if not impossible.

Your essentially saying no voluntary relationship in which someone is being mistreated is immoral.That’s absurd.

While I don’t agree with minor points here I think you’ve argued pretty well for what I’m talking about- thick libertarianism.

Then to the degree you accept this you accept some kind of thickness and reject some kind of thinness.

This is why debating with you is a waste of time. You use terms you won’t define and when asked, claim you cannot clearly define.

So then one cannot behave immoral, voluntarily. Thanks.

Where does moral authority come from? That’s the question you and Scott continue to avoid.

How can something involuntary be moral? Try to experiment with logic when responding to me pls.

Are these non sequiturs, fallacies of composition or strawmen? I’m under no moral obligation to help someone in dying need. I’m under no moral obligation to report a crime. Do you understand the difference between positive and negative obligations?

It’s irrelevant to libertarianism. The point of libertarianism is to facilitate diversity of social views peacefully, not to create a group mind with regards to social attitudes and norms. Again, tolerance is the highest libertarian value. What flavor ice cream you like, or which sex you are attracted to, or how much charity you should give, are all irrelevant to libertarianism. Libertarianism supports you making these decisions, but only for yourself.

If you want a social club, philosophy can’t do that for you.

Non sequitur.

How can someone be mistreated if they want it? Are you arguing against free will?

Whether the proposition “anything voluntary is moral” can be refuted depends on the definitions being used for “voluntary” and “moral” – definitions which others are in no way obligated to agree with.

What are your own definitions for “voluntary” and “moral”?

“This is why debating with you is a waste of time. You use terms you won’t define and when asked, claim you cannot clearly define.”

<= Welcome to philosophy. I take it you haven’t studied it?

“So then one cannot behave immoral, voluntarily. Thanks.”

<= How does this follow from “I don’t think one can be immoral against oneself.”?

“Where does moral authority come from? That’s the question you and Scott continue to avoid.”

<= My parents, friends and peers have moral authority. I listen to them and if there arguments make sense about what I ought to do, I follow there suggestions (or try to so). Other moral authorities could be the church, a fraternal society, etc. Moral authority is not the same as legal authority - I hope the difference is clear by now?

I said: “Why does it follow that ‘anything voluntary is moral’?”

LS said: “How can something involuntary be moral? Try to experiment with logic when responding to me pls.”

<= Who is saying ‘something involuntary can be moral’? I’m denying that: ‘everything that people voluntarily do, can be called moral’ - as I defined it and as the term is usually used in philosophy. I accept the statement: ‘everything that people voluntarily do, ought to be legal’, given the definitiosn ive provided regarding moral and legal philosophy. Denying that ‘something voluntary can be called immoral’ is not the same as saying ‘something involuntary can be moral’.

" I’m under no moral obligation to help someone in dying need. I’m under no moral obligation to report a crime. Do you understand the difference between positive and negative obligations?"

<= Traditional libertarian taught that has any notion of philosophy and the terms used in that, would say that you don’t have legal obligation to help someone in dying need and no legal obligation to report a crime. Saying that you don’t have a moral obligation to report a crime goes beyond that. That means claiming that these kinds of actions would be undesirable from a social perspective. (Again, in the traditional vocabulary used by philosophers, libertarian and non-libertarians.) Do you agree with this conclusion? If not; why do you use the term ‘moral’ obligation and not the term ‘legal obligation’, as it is commonly used.

Libertarianism talks about what can justify force. Libertarianism doesn’t talk about what would be morally desirable given a libertarian law code. I agree that libertarianism ‘is to facilitate diversity of social views peacefully, not to create a group mind with regards to social attitudes and norms’ It doesn’t follow that there can be no philosophical inquiry of these social attitudes and norms and there can be ought and ought not statements regarding these social attitudes and social norms.

So, yes, I do understand the difference between positive and negative obligation. I deny - like every other libertarian - that people have positive legal obligations against other peoples, i.e. that they have positive obligations that can be enforced by the law to help/assist other people. People only have legal negative obligations. Traditional libertarianism - Rothbard, Long, Friedman, Schmitdz, Nozick, Randians, etc. - doesn’t deny the fact that people can have, in fact, positive moral obligations. We just deny that people can have positive moral obligations.

if you want to differ from this - explaining that given my, or given your, definition, people have no moral obligation - feel free to do so. If you are merely saying that people can’t have positive legal obligations, than sure. There is no difference.

“It’s irrelevant to libertarianism. The point of libertarianism is to facilitate diversity of social views peacefully, not to create a group mind with regards to social attitudes and norms. Again, tolerance is the highest libertarian value. What flavor ice cream you like, or which sex you are attracted to, or how much charity you should give, are all irrelevant to libertarianism. Libertarianism supports you making these decisions, but only for yourself.”

<= I agree that it is irrelevant to libertarianism as a political/legal theory. What I’m saying is that this isn’t irrelevant, period. Could you agree with that?

So, you accept behaviorism?

What is your point?

Probably this: “What are your own definitions for “voluntary” and “moral”?”

You know, the part you didn’t quote?

One can only act with one’s self. Unless you believe I can control you, which I assure you I cannot, because if I could, you would make much better arguments.

Yes, it is very clear you don’t know what authority is. That ^^ is not an example of authority. Want to try again?

So you agree, involuntary relations can never be moral?

I have no idea what this concept or party is. It is meaningless to me. I’m not appealing to tradition. I am appealing to reason.

It cannot.

Does this make any sense? Besides the blatant appeal to authority that is.

Ancap or voluntarism are not legal/political systems or theories.

Your subjective opinions beyond voluntary relations are irrelevant to me. I don’t care what voluntary choices you make or approve of. They are arbitrary and subjective.