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...
Wizardry is free-market. Other schools exist that have a greater emphasis on safety but they never gained market share and hence never went on to develop a movie-franchise business in the way Hogwarts did.
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way about the Romulan ship in the Star Trek reboot. Clearly the Federation needed to intervene in Romulan affairs to bring better governance to the Romulan people!
ReplyDeleteAny time I hear railings or anything of the like it reminds me of that episode of 'Mystery Science Theatre 3000' where Tom Servo is the safety officer of the ship who has acquired the book 'Banisters, Balustrades and Railings' and proceeds to put a railing, banister or balustrade anywhere and everywhere. I forget what movie was on that episode.
ReplyDeletePerhaps this episode?
DeleteYes! I gave a half-assed attempt at finding that clip, too.
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