Back to the Drawing Board: Beaten to the Punch

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Beaten to the Punch

Darn...it looks like my outreach project has already been done for me!

The only thing left is to spread the word!

9 comments:

Rorshak (1313) said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; May 7, 2009 at 10:47 PM
Rorshak (1313) said...: It makes me facepalm when some ancaps say that Somalia is a "good" example of anarchy.

As far as I can tell, they are right when they say it's better than when it had a central. But it's still a third-world shithole.; May 7, 2009 at 10:48 PM
Danny Shahar said...: Agreed. If you haven't listened to it already, Pete Leeson gave a really great lecture on it at FEE last summer.; May 7, 2009 at 11:09 PM
blob said...: Yes, Somalia is -all things beeing equal- better off stateless.
I have to think of Nozick, who claimed that the worst anarchy would be better than the worst state. Where would you rather want to live? In the Somalia of today or in the Ukraine 1932?; May 8, 2009 at 6:03 PM
blob said...: I forgot: The video made me lol.; May 8, 2009 at 6:05 PM
Gregory said...: Somalia is a tough example because it was completely lacking in necessary institutions when it became anarchical. I see stable democracy of some sort or another as a necessary step between feudalism/tribalism/etc and a more free society. Stable democracy provides the environment for the development of institutions that will be needed for anarchy to be functional. I don't know of any "developed" economies that have experienced a significant governmental collapse, by which I mean complete collapse not contentious transfer of power. This would be a true test of market anarchy and I doubt that it is too far in the future. I wouldn't be surprised to see Thailand go there or some of the Eastern European countries.; May 9, 2009 at 8:23 PM
Danny Shahar said...: Good point, blob.

Greg, I'm not sure I think the collapse of a state would be a good test for the sort of anarchy that most libertarian anarchists have in mind. In a collapsed state, there is usually a struggle for power that ends with a new state being implemented. It seems to me that the libertarians would want to see an ideological shift in a country that resulted in greater tolerance for voluntary forms of dissociation from the mainstream political order, thereby allowing for anarchy to arise peacefully out of a state-ordered system. At least, I should hope that the libertarian anarchists aren't rooting for political collapse!; May 11, 2009 at 2:51 PM
Gregory said...: Good point, my language was pretty misleading. My implication was that if the people of a developed nation lost faith in government, the beneficial and necessary institutions would likely not collapse along with the government. I have a friend in Thailand who tells me that all the local people view politics as a sham and don't accept either side as legitimately representing them. Nonetheless, aside from political violence, rule of law prevails. As Leeson puts it (thanks for the link), a developed country would likely become a first best anarchy, which would likely maintain the necessary and beneficial institutions of first best democracy, just without the monolithic centralized power backing them.; May 11, 2009 at 4:03 PM
Danny Shahar said...: That's really interesting about Thailand. Has your friend ever considered writing about the situation over there? I would love to hear more!; May 11, 2009 at 4:06 PM

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Hi! My name is Danny Shahar, and this is my blog. Mainly, this site will serve as my online notebook -- a place for me to post my thoughts about whatever I'm working on so that I can keep track of it and so other people can chime in. My posts, accordingly, will typically consist of reflections on projects I'm working on, books or essays I'm reading, or discussions I'm having with other like-interested people. Hopefully, there will be something in here for you!

I've gotten to where I am today through a broadly libertarian path, and so a lot of my work will reflect that slant. I still think that it's important for individuals to be treated with dignity and respect, and that we should treat individual self-determination as the status quo. To me, that means recognizing that we have different values and different ideas about what would would be the best way to live, and so I think that in some cases, it might not be best to seek a single mandatory solution for everyone. I also think it's important to look very hard about the choices we entrust to our leaders, because they are fallible and flawed people just like everyone else. But I have also developed a number of reservations towards traditionally libertarian ideas, particularly those pertaining to the non-aggression principle, the homesteading theory of property, the "axiom" of self-ownership, the nonexistence of unchosen positive duties, and the inherent evil of either government in general or any sort of government besides a specific kind.

I'm still trying to figure out how the parts of libertarian thought which I find compelling fit into the greater scheme of political philosophy, and that process will be reflected here. But more than that, I'm just trying to figure out what makes sense to me. In reading through this site, please keep in mind that nothing I say here is intended to be the final word on anything, and the position I defend in any post is not even necessarily the one I hold now. Even the web address for this site -- libertarian-left -- hearkens back to a time when I held a very different set of views than I do now, and eventually this letter you are reading will no doubt become obsolete as well. This is just a philosophical photo album -- a record of what occurred to me along my path to a better understanding of things. So please don't take this stuff too seriously, and certainly don't get upset; just remember that I'm doing the best that I can.

As you check the place out, I would love to hear any thoughts you would care to contribute. If you don't agree with something, say so! I think that the best philosophy is done through dialogue and debate, and though I may not always have a chance to respond, I always appreciate readers' comments! Thanks so much for visiting my site, and I hope you enjoy what's here!

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Thursday, May 7, 2009

Beaten to the Punch

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