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...
Is there smart modern distributist commentary? I am entirely sympathetic to distributism as a principle but I have been disappointed by distributists. I've heard some distributist speakers on Youtube, but my impression is that what they were really excited about was pro-lifery and just-shy-of-sedevacantist SSPV conservative Catholicism. Which, you know, that's cool, too ...
ReplyDeleteI hope to write some! Still researching.
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