Would you work in any capacity for a business that manufactured military weapons–and in return profited from military money?
For instance: Would you accept a job at a small business in the aerospace industry, which manufactures parts for R&D-heavy aerospace firms, if (say) three of this business’s ten clients were primarily engaged in trying to win contracts from the military for new aerospace weapons systems?
In simpler terms, would you work for a company that manufactures parts for Boeing or Lockheed Martin, including these companies’ weapons programs?
Just trying to guage this place, I guess. A simple yes or no will suffice, but an explanation is always interesting.
No. Btw, the military contractors do much more despicable things, like run prostitution rings for the US army and engage in human trafficking (slave labour).
I think that’s more disgusting than making weapons of war.
Well, I’m of the same opinion - that I would without much of a problem.
So, I’ll explain. If it’s a better job offer and benefits me more than the alternatives, I don’t see any reason not to take the job. By not taking the job I’m not preventing the company from perpetuating and I’m certainly not bringing it down in any sense of the word. The only one really hurt by sacrificing for principles is myself and if we run on this philosophy of sacrifice for principle, pretty soon every libertarian is going to be as miserable as every other libertarian at which point you ask, then what?
Look, we need to come to the realization that the state isn’t going anywhere anytime soon - probably never will. Fighting it is pointless and the best we can ever hope for is to evade some of it taking opportunities that benefit ourselves over denying them at the cost of our own well being.
Never. If you are an engineer, you can probably find work building stuff to make people’s lives better instead of killing them. But of course, since moral subjectivism seems to be all the rage these days, the ‘correct’ answer is ‘do whatever you please’.
To be honest, I’m not really sure why this point of view would be controversial. A military is necessary even if it is capable of misuse. Why should I feel guilty?
The key to your question is if we would work for a company that did business with the government. However, the problem that all us an-caps and libertarians have is there are so many companies that do business, in one way or another, with the government. For example, would we ever work at a bank? Well, banks do businesses with all governments. Could we ever work for an auto manufacturer? Well, Ford, GM, and Toyota make cars for the government.
Should we patronize airlines that use Boeing airplanes? Should we patronize a bank that practizes FRB? It would be hard to live life…
lol. I probably am just a broken record…but is this not quintessentially trollish ? People in an allegedly libertarian site take for granted that there’s nothing wrong with militarism ?
Smith is paid with stolen money. He builds weapons that are used to blow up innocent people. And there’s no reason to feel ‘guilt’ ? What should he feel then ? Joy ?