From: Craig Presson (c_presson@yahoo.com)
Date: Tue Aug 31 1999 - 12:40:30 MDT
--- Michael A Johnson <MAJUS@prodigy.net> wrote:
[...]
> Max More in not prescribing to the Libertarian credo, but putting
> emphasis on conecepts (open society, market freedom, etc.) has the correct
> methodology for approaching the topic. Extropian thought is about
> developing new ways of living. Libertarianism should not be shoehorned into
> Extropian philosophy. I think that politcal thought needs to begin from the
> extropian principlcs and develop a rigorous theory of political
> organization. If our philosophical journey leads us to to Libertarianism,
> so be it, but we should not simply assume that what is expoused by the
> Libertarian Party is the correct philisophy for Extropians.
(Or even for libertarians, many of whom have little use for the LP)
Also, let's recall that there are degrees of libertarianism. A lot of the early members
of this list were anarcho-capitalists -- very articulate ones. There was also a strong
bias against debating the basics, so libertarianism became EC (Extropically Correct) and
we largely moved on to other things. We probably all agree on a lot of positions
characteristic of more mainstream libertarian thought.
I don't share your sanguine hopes for a "rigorous theory of political
organization" based on the what I know of the genre.
My challenge to anyone who wants to have a state-based politics consistent with
spontaneous order and maximum expansion is to define a theory more optimal than that
summarized in _The Machinery of Freedom_.
To minarchists, the main challenge is to define how to contain government.
"Starting with a Constitution and Bill of Rights that reserved to the people all powers
not specifically granted to the government, it took less than 150 years to develop a Supreme
Court willing to rule that growing food on your own land to feed to your own hogs was
interstate commerce and could be regulated by the USDA." -- David D. Friedman, quoted
from memory, hopefully not too badly.
To libertarians in general, of course, the main challenge is how to get there from here.
===
I use this address only when I am away from home. I have
reply-to set to dhr@iname.com and I read email sent to that
address from here, so please don't use the yahoo address.
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