Curt Doolittle

Author: Curt Doolittle

  • COMPLETE DEFINITION OF PROPERTY An Excerpt from “Propertarianism” that defines p

    http://www.propertarianism.com/2013/01/15/the-complete-definition-of-property-excerpt-from-propertarianism/A COMPLETE DEFINITION OF PROPERTY

    An Excerpt from “Propertarianism” that defines property descriptively – as people actually use it in various societies. This definition is necessary to repair both Praxeology and Rothbardian Ethics for heterogeneous societies with greater than aristocratic enfranchisement.

    (Knowledgable Libertarians welcome to give thoughtful feedback – thanks.)

    Source date (UTC): 2013-01-15 08:33:00 UTC

  • “It is folly to imagine that the aggressive types, whether individuals or nation

    “It is folly to imagine that the aggressive types, whether individuals or nations, can be bought off … since the payment of danegeld stimulates a demand for more danegeld. But they can be curbed. Their very belief in force makes them more susceptible to the deterrent effect of a formidable opposing force.” – Sir Basil H. Liddel-Hart

    Source date (UTC): 2013-01-15 07:38:00 UTC

  • “The downfall of civilized states tends to come not from the direct assaults of

    “The downfall of civilized states tends to come not from the direct assaults of foes, but from internal decay combined with the consequences of exhaustion in war.” – Sir Basil H. Liddel-Hart

    Source date (UTC): 2013-01-15 07:13:00 UTC

  • PRAXEOLOGY DOES NOT LOSE INFORMATION. ALL AGGREGATES IN MATHEMATICS CAUSE LOSS O

    PRAXEOLOGY DOES NOT LOSE INFORMATION. ALL AGGREGATES IN MATHEMATICS CAUSE LOSS OF INFORMATION. PRAXEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS DOES NOT.

    That information loss benefits the state. That is why economics is an aggregate discipline. Aggregates do EXPOSE the effects of informational asymmetry – sticky prices and contracts etc. They do help us find informational asymmetry in the multitudinous places it exists. Aggregates help investors profit from specializing in the pursuit of that asymmetric knowledge. And if you are one of the people that thinks fiat money and credit are more beneficial than the business cycle, then aggregates certainly help determine the amount of money needed by the economy at any given point in time. But aggregates do not contain information about involuntary transfers. And they destroy information as does fiat money and credit, by distorting the information provided by prices.

    The praxeological solution to advancing the economy, is not do dump disinformation in the form of credit, into the pricing system we call the economy. Instead, praxeology would tell us to create institutions that better facilitate the cooperation of groups at those scales that the market has difficulty in facilitating. Particularly those problems that are caused by jurisdictional overlap. Or those where the impact of ‘cheating’ or ‘privatization’ of investment would prevent the risk taking needed for those investments, if they were exposed to the market.

    The only mandatory function of government, as far as I can determine, is to prevent cheating. Now, it may not be obvious that the defense of property rights of all kinds is simply the prevention of cheating. But governments must prevent indirect involuntary transfers by issuing laws in furtherance of preventing privatizations of the commons – cheating.

    Praxeology makes all cheating visible and open to criticism and prevention.

    Praxeology tells us that we should endeavor to create institutions that will assist classes in creating contracts, the terms of which have the force of law under the one law of property, and not leave it to a ruling class – elected or not – to determine laws. The scope of contracts is controllable by all parties. The scope of lawmaking appears not to be controllable, because it is only bounded by the will of those in charge NOT to exercise power if they can.

    All mathematics is predicated upon ratios : balance. Accounting uses double entries to create a balance where none would exist. In human relations VOLUNTARY EXCHANGE determines this balance. Efficiency does not, because it obscures involuntary transfers. And as such, any argument to efficiency is an argument to theft.

    Praxeology: voluntarism, creates the balance, the scale, the ability to render ethical judgments not out of complex arguments to efficiency, but very simply, out of the willingness of individuals to participate in an exchange once they are confident that no involuntary transfers will be produced by this exchange.

    Propertarianism is the solution to the problem of politics in the post-democratic era.

    Source date (UTC): 2013-01-15 05:52:00 UTC

  • “Cinema can still explain the whole world. Mathematicians think it’s math. I bel

    “Cinema can still explain the whole world. Mathematicians think it’s math. I believe it’s cinema.” – Jean-Luc Godard

    Mathematics can explain only what we cannot sense. That is why we have mathematics: to compensate for our limited ability to perceive the universe.

    However, human concepts must at some point be reduced to those stimuli which we can experience. All language is reducible to an analogy to experience. All imagery is by definition experience. Mathematics is, at some degree of abstraction, simply a vehicle for compensating for our terribly weak short term memories by creating categories, applying quantities, and rearranging symbols while preserving ratios. The mind could do this without mathematics if we had the short term memory to do it with.

    Film is, today, the most informationally rich means by which, that which we *cannot* perceive directly, can be reduced by analogy and narrative, to that which we *can* perceive directly.

    At first glance, these statements are not terribly romantic.

    But after we consider that human beings have invented mathematics, the narrative, and visual media so that we can rapidly sense what we could not sense directly, we can certainly wonder at the marvel of what man can accomplish in the service of his mind and his experience. And in that understanding we can appreciate that there is no material difference between mathematics and cinema. They are simply extensions of us.

    And that is as romantic an experience as any.

    – Curt Doolittle 😉

    (Originally posted under FilmmakerIQ)

    Source date (UTC): 2013-01-15 04:41:00 UTC

  • NULLIFICATION IS CHEAPER THAN REVOLUTION OR SECESSION 1) Nullification. Inexpens

    NULLIFICATION IS CHEAPER THAN REVOLUTION OR SECESSION

    1) Nullification.

    Inexpensive. Weakens tyranny, allows greater social experimentation, preserves existing economy, promotes local opportunity while preserving federated trade, credit, insurance and military assets.

    2) Secession.

    Expensive. Eliminates tyranny, allows greater social experimentation. Creates opportunity, improves the economy, and autonomy. Allows adaptation of institutions. *Can* weaken credit, insurance, and military assets. Can also improve them.

    3) Revolution.

    Devastatingly expensive. Damages the economy, social capital, institutional capital, trade, credit, insurance, and military assets.

    Revolution carries a very high cost. The choice between Nullification and Secession is simply whether the value of the federated services of insurance, trade, credit and military are more or less valuable. Assuming that the federated system is anywhere near solvent, nullifying LAWS while retaining legitimate functions of a federal system – largely as insurer of last resort – inexpensively reduces the state to it’s only beneficial function.

    We needed a federal government because we had a vast continent that could be occupied by competitive international powers. This federated system allowed us to conquer that territory, and insure no foreign power did so instead. This strategy worked.

    But that was the ONLY REASON for the federal government at the time.

    At present, the federal government has only one redeeming value, and that is as insurer of last resort, and provider of military services too costly for independent states to field on their own.

    Nullification is the systematic means by which to devolve the united states federal government from a law-making body to a body that does nothing but provide insurer of last resort services.

    (Originally under Dave Quick’s excellent post on nullification – Here for record purposes.)

    Source date (UTC): 2013-01-15 04:27:00 UTC

  • CULTURAL HUMOR: A UKRAINIAN, SPEAKING RUSSIAN, IMITATING A GEORGIAN, IN ENGLISH.

    CULTURAL HUMOR: A UKRAINIAN, SPEAKING RUSSIAN, IMITATING A GEORGIAN, IN ENGLISH.

    Um. Sounds like something out of a 30’s comedy. But. Really. Sitting here?

    It’s pretty funny.

    Source date (UTC): 2013-01-14 19:15:00 UTC

  • DIPLOMACY: The art of saying “nice doggy” while looking for a rock

    DIPLOMACY:

    The art of saying “nice doggy” while looking for a rock.

    Source date (UTC): 2013-01-14 19:12:00 UTC

  • OBSERVATIONS: THE SQUIRREL ON YOUR SHOULDER Apparently in Russian the alcoholic

    http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/drunk-squirrel-warning-russians-alcohol-11855CULTURAL OBSERVATIONS: THE SQUIRREL ON YOUR SHOULDER

    Apparently in Russian the alcoholic experience of Delirium Tremens (beloy) translates to something that’s pronounced very much like “squirrel” (belka). So, if you’re out on the town, and behaving oddly while drinking, people will ask you if you see the squirrel on your shoulder. And dozens of variations all of which allude to your state of mind and the presence of squirrels. (In America we usually talk of spiders – which isn’t anywhere near as cute or funny.)

    The attached video is a Russian Public Service Announcement that plays off the popular bit of humor. But. Sigh. Those cute fuzzy little creatures. I will never look at them the same again. 🙂

    Source date (UTC): 2013-01-14 15:55:00 UTC

  • PREDICTION RANT Neither the weather nor the economy are predictable except at th

    PREDICTION RANT

    Neither the weather nor the economy are predictable except at the extremes. Weathermen and Economists sell us good feelings: the illusion that we can plan the future with some degree of confidence, as if we can exchange contract rights with nature and market.

    um…. no. It’s Shamanism: hand-waving that makes us feel better in the face of uncertainty because it releases hormones.

    But it’s still shamanism.

    Source date (UTC): 2013-01-14 11:26:00 UTC