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 it not really free trade if the U.S. has a navy?
ReplyDeleteIf you look at the core of what he's saying is "not free trade" about it, it's Yet Another Argument against all of intellectual property. Not necessarily wrong, but not the kind of thing I think you'd endorse, and not really a damning argument for how it's not "trufree" trade.
ReplyDeleteSo, the new trade pact will make it harder for you to rip off the formula for Viagra that other people produced at significant expense? Woe is you.