From: mark@unicorn.com
Date: Tue May 11 1999 - 05:38:06 MDT
david_musick@juno.com wrote:
>Most property that humans use is created by humans, and we can always
>create more.
Who's going to create more, from what and why? Recently I've been reading
'The shape of things to come', which aside from being probably the most
boring book ever written, describes yet another wonderful happy socialist
utopia which entirely skirts around the question of who does the shitwork
and why. Why should I work if I can have anything I want for free?
>There is a finite amount of accessible natural resources on
>Earth, but there is plenty to provide all humans with a very comfortable
>living situation, with current technology.
Of course I for one want far more than you consider 'comfortable'. For
your utopia to succeed, you'll have to use force to stop me getting what
I want. So much for respect, eh?
>Because humans generally view
>most other humans as enemies, they refuse to cooperate with each other to
>provide a comfortable situation for all involved.
I regard very few people as enemies... I just don't see why I should spend
my valuable time doing things to make the lives of people I don't know more
comfortable, if it doesn't help me. The great thing about the free market is
that I do make other people's lives more comfortable while I work for my own
ends.
And what's so great about 'comfort' anyway? Why does it seem that the people
who live in 'uncomfortable' societies are often much happier than those who
live in 'comfort'?
>This perpetual war
>among most humans is the source of most human problems.
Indeed. If only people would stop trying to impose all these silly little
utopias on the rest of us we could get on with living our lives in peace.
But there seems to be an almost infinite supply of people with no respect
for others who believe they know better than us how we should live our
lives.
>"Property rights" is a good solution when people have little respect for
>each other
You know, you complain and complain about lack of respect, but how much
respect exactly do you have for anyone who doesn't believe in your fantasy?
You keep telling us how bad and childish we are, and want to force us to
do what you want. How can you complain that other people don't respect you
when you don't have the slightest respect for us?
>and would routinely deprive each other of the basic
>necessities for living.
Uh, no, I don't routinely deprive anyone of anything. It's the socialists
and communists and borganists such as yourself who want to deprive us of
the things we've worked hard to acquire.
>But the concept of property rights does little
>to heal the underlying hostility among humans.
Crap. Property rights says "that's yours, this is mine, you can do what
you want with your stuff as long as you leave mine alone." Any believer in
property rights can get along with any other, it's only when thieves and
other non-believers come along that we get envy and hostility.
>If people were not so
>hostile towards each other, there would be no need for "property rights".
"If only everyone thought just like me, the world would be wonderful." True,
it would be a wonderful place for you, and a hideous place for the rest of
us. It ain't gonna happen. Deal with it.
Mark
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Fri Nov 01 2002 - 15:03:42 MST