How To Make the Case for Freedom
from stefbot
Freedomain Radio Listener Emails, 5 December 2012
- Do Boys Learn Differently from Girls?
- How to Best Make the Case for Freedom?
- What about Right to Work Legislation?
- Is It Initiating Force to Get Your Children to Do Chores?
Right to Work Bill Passes!
Do you think boys learn differently than girls?
Hi Stef,
I recently have gotten into your videos and can’t stop watching. You lay out your ideas brilliantly and concisely. There is a point of confusion that I have with regard to authority though. I understand the initiation of force is universally wrong, but when you reprimand your for doing things socially abnormal, but ultimately harmless, e.g. eating with her hands at a restaurant or telling an obese person that they’re fat, how is that not initiating force? What punishment is supportive to raising a healthy child and when should you respect her self-ownership to say truthful things to others that Also, how do you handle teaching responsibility? You can’t tell your child to do chores, so what if she refuses to do what you ask? Since she is an autonomous person, do you just concede and move on with your life? Is that conducive to raising a healthy child?
Also, is it possible to be friends with somebody who has authority over you? I am good friends with a coworker who just got promoted and is now my “authority”… she can’t fire me but she is considered my superior still.
You give general principles for the authority / subordinate relationship but sometimes it seems like those principles may come into conflict or contradict.
Stefan,
Let me begin by saying that I’m a huge fan– your work has been among the most influential in forming the very foundations of my beliefs, philosophical and political.
Here’s my problem: If corporations and governments are merely people coming together and associating to form these entities of real world power and authority (I believe they are insofar as corporations/governments are not the buildings/stock tickers/presidential seals etc.) then, in rejecting them, are we not rejecting the aspects of human nature that drive people towards these associations? Where’s the disconnect?
Just as the banks were not fined for their malfeasance and responsibility for our current economic downturn (rather, the penalties were passed along to shareholders and the general public via the fed and our debt based economy) how are we to separate the actions of “government” from the acts of the individuals who comprise government? Isn’t government the natural result of our being social animals that fear insecurity and crave some sense of order?
In other words– at what point did we go wrong?
Even if you just point me in the direction of one of your past videos your response would be greatly appreciated.
Hey Stef,
First I suppose I should say thank you, for helping to enlighten us all.
I saw your video on sociopaths, and thought I would try the against me argument. And try I did albeit without the same eloquence you have in your videos.
I approached a friend and starting talking about it, and was afraid to find that she did support violence against my person. In the end she claimed that paying taxes was a requirement of the society we live in, and that me and her must have differing views of living peacefully and violence.
Questions were also brought up about maintaining roads, minimum wage regulations and healthcare. I tried to explain that more efficient private would take the place of public companies, to whit she asked about the poor people that could not afford any sort of healthcare… I tried to say that charities would step in and help, and if not…?
Unfortunately that is where my arguments generally fall flat on their face. What will the absolutely poor do if they can’t get help from anyone?
Also, I know it is lazy of me, but do you have videos on how a post government world might run? I would like something to show her that gives a more detailed example of possibilities than I can muster flustered mid-debate.
Again, my thanks.
Freedomain Radio is the largest and most popular philosophy show on the web – http://www.freedomainradio.com
2012-12-16 19:47:09
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