24 May 2011

The benevolence and compassion of the state...

Posting this link again as it is such a fantastic illustration of the non-aggression perspective behind the libertarian philosophy. It's sort of an idiot's guide introduction to the root philosophical idea behind which all of libertarian philosophy springs.

One of the key points that is brought up in the video, but not emphasized, is the role of the state in providing a way for individuals to be violent while pretending to themselves that they are not. Peaceful people, generally, will go to great lengths to avoid using violence to further their goals, if violence is not initiated against them in the first place (and even then peaceful people frequently find it difficult to engage in violence). And yet, through the state, peaceful people at least threaten violence on a daily basis. The state becomes a kind of proxy through which people are insulated from their own conscience.

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