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...
Flashbacks much, Gene? :D
ReplyDeleteWhen they warned us about flashbacks in health ed I always thought the chance to trip again without even having to take a drug was a great selling point of LSD.
ReplyDeleteI realize what you're getting at, but even so your back was to the corner. So you needed (what remains of) your mind to recognize that you were in the correct room.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, Gene, we've all found ourselves in that room at one time or another. Most of us aren't lucky enough to have your wife on the phone, but I digress....
ReplyDeleteGene, me too!
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