Re: ExI: Announcing Extropy Institute's Transhumanist FAQ version0.7

From: Mike Lorrey (mlorrey@datamann.com)
Date: Wed Jan 02 2002 - 15:48:55 MST


Lee Daniel Crocker wrote:
>
> > Proposed FAQ question:
> >
> > Since the Extropian movement is heavily invested in libertarian
> > philosophy, which purportedly stresses individual rights and property
> > rights, how do the Extropians reconcile the "open borders" philosophy
> > advocated by Extropians, with the fact that most American citizens
> > oppose open borders (even before 911WTC numerous polls showed that
> > 55-65% of Americans wanted less immigration, which is certainly a long
> > way from open borders). Seems as if Extropians would wish to trample
> > the individual rights of most Americans by implementing open
> > borders--not to mention taking the food out of the mouths of working
> > class Americans by lowering wages with immigration...or perhaps a
> > weight reduction plan for the working classes is part of the Extropian
> > philosophy :-)
>
> I don't understand your confusion: where's the contradiction?
> Libertarian politics implies open borders (or rather, that the
> government not restrict people's movements). The majority of
> Americans disagree--as would be expected, since the majority of
> Americans are not libertarians.

The problem is that the 'open borders' principle of libertarianism is
not blind to the regiemes in different cultures. The Open Borders
Principle only applies as a principle to societies that operate in a
high trust libertarian leaning plenum. It most specifically does NOT say
that an open libertarian society should leave it's border with a hostile
anti-libertarian society wide open to infiltration and attack.



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