Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Even if in the monority, dare to speak up

Even if in the monority, dare to speak up

What if you, a generally "libertarian" person, have a position on some issue that is at odds with the position of other "libertarian" people? Should you keep your opinion to yourself? What if it turns out that you are wrong?

I think it is better to express yourself. Perhaps you are seeing the issue from a different angle that other people are not considering. Maybe you are misunderstanding the issue completely. How will anyone know or learn if no one speaks out?

Recently I have been following, in a cursory way, a libertarian disagreement over "intellectual property". While I see the point that each side is trying to make, (here, here, here, and here) I agree it could have been handled in a more friendly way. After all we are all in this together.

Still, I think it is good to get these disagreements out in the open where all sides of the issue can be aired. I doubt anyone involved will change their minds, but people on the sidelines, who may not have thought it over yet, can see all the arguments and decide which position (if any) has more merit. Then, possibly, in the future it may be self-evident which side was really supporting individual liberty and which was not. Or a third way may be seen as the truth while the current battle of words will be seen as arguing over angels and pinheads.

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