The "argument from apocalypse*" ("AFA") is the term for the beliefs of those who, when faced with the idea of shedding government coercion say some version of "We'll all DIE!!" It is usually expressed as "Everyone will run around raping and killing whoever they want if there is no government there to stop them".
Of course, you and I both know this is ridiculous, but a lot of people claim to believe this apocalyptic scenario.
*This term comes from Stefen Molyneux's Practical Anarchy. Thank you to Puck T. Smith for reminding me where the term came from!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Defending the indefensible
Defending the indefensible
So many times I see political discussions degenerate into factions that love or hate one particular country or another. It is just so much nonsense.
I can't stand any "country" on the face of the globe. They are all just territories delineated on a map, and claimed by thugs who enforce a monopoly on force within their sphere of influence- just disgusting government fictions. I am so tired of people either extolling the virtues of one country, or denigrating the existence of another. They are all founded upon murder... to the very last country on the globe.
The people in each territory are a different story. As long as they attack no "innocents" I have no problem with them, regardless of their religion, personal habits, or opinions. Once they do initiate force, they have declared themselves an enemy to all that is good, and yet their "nationality" is still meaningless.
The same goes for religion. It doesn't matter which religion they blame for their acts, or which government is entangled with which religion. There is right and there is wrong, and your politics and your religion will be judged by how you follow the principles; by how the followers of one government or religion actually behave in real life. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, just as a rotting corpse will be known by its stench.
So many times I see political discussions degenerate into factions that love or hate one particular country or another. It is just so much nonsense.
I can't stand any "country" on the face of the globe. They are all just territories delineated on a map, and claimed by thugs who enforce a monopoly on force within their sphere of influence- just disgusting government fictions. I am so tired of people either extolling the virtues of one country, or denigrating the existence of another. They are all founded upon murder... to the very last country on the globe.
The people in each territory are a different story. As long as they attack no "innocents" I have no problem with them, regardless of their religion, personal habits, or opinions. Once they do initiate force, they have declared themselves an enemy to all that is good, and yet their "nationality" is still meaningless.
The same goes for religion. It doesn't matter which religion they blame for their acts, or which government is entangled with which religion. There is right and there is wrong, and your politics and your religion will be judged by how you follow the principles; by how the followers of one government or religion actually behave in real life. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, just as a rotting corpse will be known by its stench.
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