The age of consent in relation to austrian economics is a symptom of the bigger problem of the science: the lack of a system to determine whether the action axiom applies on any given object(in the physical domain). It is this - the absence of determining connection between the envisioned praxeological model and the real life - that is the nail on the coffin of the study.
I think the age of consent laws do a lot more harm than good as well. Clearly many older guys are drawn to the whole ‘jailbait genre’ of girls in high school, but I don’t think it’s natural for older men or parents to want to hurt children. I think that communities would have a much more tight-knit feeling in a truly libertarian society so that younger girls would be seen as people and not sex objects like they’re placed into with these laws.
Age of consent laws do the same thing as drug laws.
I think Walter Block takes things too far when he says that forcing someone to be born is an act of aggression, though. I don’t know if he just made the argument for fun or if he really believes it, but that’s kind of a joke.
Brian is absolutely correct, age of consenst is like drug laws and do more harm than help people. And to determine this “help” is very hard.. even subjective, I think.
So age of consent is retarded idea and needs to be abolished. What needs improving (in my opinion), however, is the basic framework of letting children to grow as rational and responsible individuals.
Using scare scenarios about child molesters doesn’t help much. Though, it is a sign, that people still care about other children and they won’t be left alone in free society.
Considering there will be private courts. And currently the voluntary database to track animal abusers. The disgust for child porno. People dabbling in this taboo will be practically ostracized from society.
I’m pretty new at this anarcho-capitalism stuff but couldn’t communities just expel low life citizens by rufusing to sell them goods and services or would wealth trump morality?
I’m very intrigued with Austrian economics but still have many concerns about society as a whole.
I’m not sure an age of consent should/would exist, but education on when it is generally safe or proper to start having sex seems like a good idea to me.
Sexual education should come from parents, not schools. That might have been what you were saying; I couldn’t really tell.
Sexual education can come from parents only when they themselves are properly educated on the matter.
Sexual education should come from parents, not schools. That might have been what you were saying; I couldn’t really tell.
I didn’t specify. It could come from either parents or school. I don’t see a problem with letting a school teach it in a health class so long as the parents allow it.
I guess parents would get to choose schools in a true libertarian society, but I still think schools should only teach the science of reproduction as a part of biological courses.
I guess parents would get to choose schools in a true libertarian society, but I still think schools should only teach the science of reproduction as a part of biological courses.
That’s what I mean. But I still don’t see a problem with allowing schools to give a rough age for when it is safe to engage in sexual activity. When it is proper is more in the parental domain.
“One poster basically said that parents own their children until those children reach the age of consent (thus implying that coercively forcing children to participate in sexual acts for the production of child porn, so long as it’s the parents that do the coercing or otherwise allow it to happen, is OK).”
I am not sure this part of the post has been addressed. I think the answer to dealing with parents who abuse their children is part of the concept of self-defense. A corollary to the right of self-defense is the right to defend others. The common law long ago recognized this and I think a libertarian society would as well. So, if a parent is forcing a child to participate in child pornography, then another individual could use force to protect that child and remove the child from the parents. The child could then elect to live on her own or live with anyone who would voluntarily provide for that child. If the child is too young to make either of these elections a person could voluntarily accept responsibility for the child.