Author: Curt Doolittle

Observation: Mix a Swiss, a Belgian and a German, too much wine, too much beer, too much sun, and the result is apparently a nearly infinite number of bad, rude, and obscene jokes. Apparently I’m sheltered. Because I hadn’t heard but one of them before. …. But nobody tops Gordon though. Nobody. It’s just one of those bars that’s so high that it will be forever ensconced in legend.

When I travel, why do so many people think I am German? I mean, I take it as a compliment. But, I don’t know what cues I’m sending.

Great panel discussion today, with speakers on China, Turkey, Islam, Europe, and the Anglosphere. The closing questions were largely to do with the changing world boundaries, and nationalism. Summary by, I think, John O’Sullivan, was that, it certainly appears, that the small ethnic nation state is the most likely means of preserving individual freedom. And the consensus was that neither China nor the USA had strong chances of maintaining political unity over the long term. That is, the USA only has such chances if we return to federalism, devolving power to the states, rather than central authority. We can only hope.

Someone asked me (again) today, why I waste my time on some silly online political debate group. And that’s a good question. But I know the answer. It’s a choice. First, it’s not really very useful to argue with people who agree with you. I spent a good half hour last night at a dinner table overlooking the Aegean, arguing core libertarian ethical theory with Stephan Kinsella, who relies on preference and moral argument for his theories. If I agreed with him, what would I learn? You know, it’s like this: The Athenian orator Demosthenes, who had a soft and stammering voice, said that he filled his mouth with pebbles and practiced over the roar of he waves until his speech was perfect. I have a tendency to speak in high abstraction, making leaps between concepts that are too far apart in causal relation for most people to follow. About a decade ago, two friends, Ali from Iran, and Frank from the USA, abused me daily for this kind of lazy communication. I began to view this tendency as ‘my problem’. A form of impediment. And so for ten years I have worked, as Spinoza suggested, to “speak in a manner comprehensible to the common people”. Unfortunately, the common people will not debate, and are happy in their ignorance. But motivated ideological opponents, regardless of their motives, mental ability or character defect, are convenient foils for the improvement of one’s arguments. So, this group, like most online forums, is my mouthful of pebbles. I don’t seek to convert anyone. Although I do find friends occasionally. I simply seek to improve my argument. If others learn in the process than that is find with me. But my purpose is to improve my ability to express ideas.

http://www.capitalismv3.com/?p=2786Emotions are reactions to changes in property?

http://www.capitalismv3.com/?p=2790Assuming non-violence (which is different from non-aggression) is simply a transfer of comparative advantage from the strong to the weak. Really? Really. It’s theft. So you while you can assume non-aggression, maybe, you can’t assume non-violence as a starting point.

http://www.capitalismv3.com/?p=2811An interesting consensus to present to an audience of anarchists

http://www.capitalismv3.com/?p=2797Some of us have a plan. Not all of us. Some of us. 🙂

http://www.capitalismv3.com/?p=2795There are ethical questions and there are problems that are not questions of ethics.

I need a better photo of Markus Bergström. Preferably laughing. It’s infectious.