On Method I use the terms “calvinist” and “arminian” as a shorthand for the two basic positions. Not to say that those two people believed or taught these specific things, but that their names have become associated with these positions. Even within the two major positions there are a number of variations. In choosing to support one of these positions, I do not mean to assert that those who support one of the other positions… Read More »Determinism or Free Will?
Suppose there is a group of 20 children in the class, and they all like apples. Would you rather….a) give one apple to each of the 20 childrenb) give three apples to a random 10 of the children, and nothing to the other 10Which do you choose? Option (a) looks fairer, because each child gets the same. Yet each child only gets one apple. 20 apples in all. Option (b) looks less fair, because the… Read More »Apples
Social organisations are inherently small-c conservative, in that over time, they tend to become more cautious, more inclined to stick with what has gone before, and less open to radical change. This applies all the way from small community organisations to the governments of countries and leadership of huge businesses. But why? The leaders of those organisations perceive that their own role as leaders will be less threatened by “more of the same” than by… Read More »Why organisations are inherently conservative
It would be nice if guaranteeing equality of outcomes could lead to a happier society, but it’s never going to happen. Communism is generally considered to be a political and economic system which is characterised by common ownership of the means of production and free access to the articles of consumption. It purports to be classless, stateless, and without money. Common ownership implies a planned economy, for it must exclude private trading and market determination… Read More »Why Communism must be Coercive
In part 1, we looked at Violence, Trade and Law, with regard to Property. The Origin of Property In 1797, Sade wrote “Tracing the right of property back to its source, one infallibly arrives at usurpation. However, theft is only punished because it violates the right of property; but this right is itself nothing in origin but theft“ From this text comes the better known aphorism “All property is theft”. We interpret this with Sade, as… Read More »On Property : 2 : Justice
When two strangers meet, and one desires something which the other has, the two have two options before them, whether they be individuals, ethnic groups, corporations, or nations. The first option is force: violence or the threat of violence. This option is chosen unilaterally by one party, believing themselves stronger, to take what they desire.The second option is trade. This option is chosen mutually by both parties, deeming themselves equal, to negotiate and agree a… Read More »On Property : 1 : Violence, Trade and Law
Humanists assert there are no gods, but that a non-god morality is still possible. Herewith, a straw man, based on different assumptions, to the ones I hold myself. Evolutionists assert that evolution is undirected, and without external meaning. That competition to reproduce is the driving factor. That there is no intrinsic “good” or “evil” in which species survive and prosper. Success is the only criteria. That when the lion eats the gazelle, or the cow eats… Read More »The Humanist Delusion
French economist Frédéric Bastiat, in his 1850 essay “The Balance of Trade” (#13 in “Selected Essays on Political Economy” attempts to debunk the mercantilist view of François Mauguin who prefers that their nation of France exports more than it imports. However, once we unpack the clever packaging of Bastiat’s narrative, we find that he gives support to the ideas he aimed to dismantle. Bastiat recounts the tale of two business transactions: wine from Bordeaux to… Read More »Is Bastiat a Englishman?
I’m fascinated by the narrative conflict around whether the police should be construed as the agents of the state enemy, or else as the also-human guys doing a necessary job. The calls from some sections of the US left, to defund or disband the police indicates the idea of having a police force is itself the problem, rather than the behaviour of the current officers. In the UK, the supporters of Extinction Rebellion debate whether… Read More »Whose side are the police on?