Sunday, April 12, 2015

A preference for Liberty

People act like a preference for Liberty is the same as a preference for ice tea over Dr Pepper. But it isn't.

You may have lots of reasons to prefer one drink over another, but really it comes down to opinions. You can point to differing health effects of the drinks, comparative costs, or whatever, but neither is ethically superior to the other. People make their choices and it's none of your business.

Not so with a preference for Liberty.

Because the opposite is quite definitely ethically (and usually, morally) inferior.

The desire to limit liberty is the desire to violate others. Liberty is self-limiting. It ends where another's liberty begins. So any preference to limit liberty necessarily violates liberty.

A preference for Liberty begins with respecting Liberty in others. That's the civilized way to be.

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