Those who want you to doubt that anarchy (self-ownership and individual responsibility) is the best, most moral, and ethical way to live among others are asking you to accept that theft, aggression, superstition, and slavery are perhaps better.
Is an anarchist not an anarchist if he obeys a counterfeit "law" because there's a gun at his head? Yes he is still an anarchist because he lacks a particular belief, the belief in The State as a legitimate thing, in his mind.
Objectivism/moral relativism deal with what you believe and should not be mixed with absolutism/pragmatism (what you do). To many people reject objective morality because they find Kantian absolutism absurd, but correctly identifying right and wrong doesn't mean you have to do what's right regardless of the costs.
Objectivist pragmatism is the modus operandi of one who strives to identify right and wrong while constantly weighing the costs/benefits of actually doing the right thing.
The tragedy of the statist is that they constantly redefine the good so it fits their actions. The objectivist realizes it is often far too costly to do the 'right thing' or that he may lack the ability to identify the right.
Objectivism/moral relativism deal with what you believe and should not be mixed with absolutism/pragmatism (what you do). To many people reject objective morality because they find Kantian absolutism absurd, but correctly identifying right and wrong doesn't mean you have to do what's right regardless of the costs.
ReplyDeleteObjectivist pragmatism is the modus operandi of one who strives to identify right and wrong while constantly weighing the costs/benefits of actually doing the right thing.
The tragedy of the statist is that they constantly redefine the good so it fits their actions. The objectivist realizes it is often far too costly to do the 'right thing' or that he may lack the ability to identify the right.
So if I read you right, John, the difference between an objectivist and a statist is simply semantic?
ReplyDeleteThat sounds about right, actually. No wonder La Vey liked you guys so much.