I decided to move some discussion from this post up to the top level here. Specifically, Watoosh wrote: "Well, if violence is defined as initiation of force (which, of course, presupposes certain property rights), then I think Rockwell is correct..." Well, if we define cats as elephants, then many people keep elephants in their house. More seriously, firstly, violence is not usually defined that way. It's defined as, you know, violence, so that, say, someone may respond violently or non-violently to someone who aggresses against them. Otherwise, it would make no sense to say, for instance, "He punched me, but I did not stoop to violence in response." And, secondly, the libertarian usage of "initiation of force" is very offbeat. If I wander onto someone's meadow, most people would not say I had "initiated force" -- I mean, sure, I used "force" against the earth to push off walking, but that's not force directed against...
Yes but it would be wrong.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I only blog about it, not do it.
ReplyDeleteBob, do you think Gene is wrong to follow Paul LaMonica's advice of "getting ticked off, but then getting over it"?
ReplyDeleteIs it the anger that's wrong, or the enjoyment of the anger?
What got me so annoyed with this guy is:
ReplyDelete1) He's looking for a handout for himself -- financial writers are dependent on Wall St. too; and
2) Should you object to LaMonica's picking your pocket, it's because you're being petulant and irrational.