Theme: Reciprocity

  • Requirements for Voluntary Cooperation

    (worth repeating)

    [W]e are only ‘voluntarily cooperating’ if we have a choice to cooperate or not. We use the term ‘cooperate’, originating with human voluntary cooperation, and by analogy apply it to other creatures who simulate voluntary cooperation. But, how many of those creatures voluntarily cooperate, and how many of them only appear to, and possess no sentience (volition) at all? What is required of for voluntary cooperation?

    REQUIREMENTS
    – The capacity for shared intent.
    – The capacity to determine if shared intent is beneficial or not.
    – The capacity to choose to invest in that shared intent or not.
    – The capacity to signal consent to shared intent.
    – The capacity to punish defectors / cheaters, whether by refusal of future cooperation, punishment, or death.

    So while it is true that verbal language is not required, signaling is. And that’s enough.

    As far as I know, if you cannot choose, consent, and punish defectors then its not voluntary cooperation.

    Curt Doolittle
    The Propertarian Institute
    Kiev Ukraine

  • Moral Realism: The Prohibition On Free Riding

    (pulled out and reposted) [L]ibertarianism argues that Non Aggression, (NAP) + Intersubjectively Verifiable Property (IVP) constitute a universal moral natural law. This is ‘almost real’. And any claim that natural rights or natural law exist is to claim moral realism (constant correspondence.) Now, I disagree with IVP and NAP, because I have learned that human moral standards are universally higher than that. That no groups exist and can exist by treating internal members as such. And that peoples who use the NAP with outsiders are usually outcast and exterminated. However, if we look at universally demonstrated human behaviors, we see that it is quite possible to identify a small number of constant moral constraints upon our action. And that these moral constraints reflect our reproductive strategies – and must. Further, that all cultures may implement more or less of these moral constraints, and that many of these moral constraints are mixed with signaling (which is not a moral constraint, but a signal of commitment to moral constraints – usually ritualistic costs that one must bear). This means that all moral systems include the universal moral rules, a level of adoption of those rules that suits their reproductive structure within the particular moral structure of production available to them, and a body of rituals and signals. And that all moral codes in all groups can be reduced to technical descriptions on the axes I have described. If this is true, and I am correct, and I think the evidence suggests that I am correct, then the underlying moral code is on that is in favor of cooperation while prohibiting free riding, where failing to engage in cooperation is also free riding. As such, the underlying moral intuition begins with the prohibition on free riding. Further that depending on a number of environmental variables such as geography and competition, humans will produce predictable moral codes, albeit a wide variety of signals. And yes, the genders differ in the distribution of weights that they give to those underlying moral codes. As such, we have finally uncovered the logic and science of morality. And as such, morality is both real, and non arbitrary. Thus the only means of moral action we possess is voluntary, fully informed, warrantied exchange, free of negative externalities, in which we contributed to production. It implies that one cannot refuse a trade that causes one no loss, takes no effort, exposes one to no risk, and benefits another. Everyone has something to trade. Even if it’s merely respect for life, property, manners, ethics, morals and rituals. And that is enough to trade for the benefits of the market, and the opportunity to conduct other trades with those who likewise enter into the bargain.

  • Moral Realism: The Prohibition On Free Riding

    (pulled out and reposted) [L]ibertarianism argues that Non Aggression, (NAP) + Intersubjectively Verifiable Property (IVP) constitute a universal moral natural law. This is ‘almost real’. And any claim that natural rights or natural law exist is to claim moral realism (constant correspondence.) Now, I disagree with IVP and NAP, because I have learned that human moral standards are universally higher than that. That no groups exist and can exist by treating internal members as such. And that peoples who use the NAP with outsiders are usually outcast and exterminated. However, if we look at universally demonstrated human behaviors, we see that it is quite possible to identify a small number of constant moral constraints upon our action. And that these moral constraints reflect our reproductive strategies – and must. Further, that all cultures may implement more or less of these moral constraints, and that many of these moral constraints are mixed with signaling (which is not a moral constraint, but a signal of commitment to moral constraints – usually ritualistic costs that one must bear). This means that all moral systems include the universal moral rules, a level of adoption of those rules that suits their reproductive structure within the particular moral structure of production available to them, and a body of rituals and signals. And that all moral codes in all groups can be reduced to technical descriptions on the axes I have described. If this is true, and I am correct, and I think the evidence suggests that I am correct, then the underlying moral code is on that is in favor of cooperation while prohibiting free riding, where failing to engage in cooperation is also free riding. As such, the underlying moral intuition begins with the prohibition on free riding. Further that depending on a number of environmental variables such as geography and competition, humans will produce predictable moral codes, albeit a wide variety of signals. And yes, the genders differ in the distribution of weights that they give to those underlying moral codes. As such, we have finally uncovered the logic and science of morality. And as such, morality is both real, and non arbitrary. Thus the only means of moral action we possess is voluntary, fully informed, warrantied exchange, free of negative externalities, in which we contributed to production. It implies that one cannot refuse a trade that causes one no loss, takes no effort, exposes one to no risk, and benefits another. Everyone has something to trade. Even if it’s merely respect for life, property, manners, ethics, morals and rituals. And that is enough to trade for the benefits of the market, and the opportunity to conduct other trades with those who likewise enter into the bargain.

  • DRAFT: RULES OF ETHICAL ARGUMENT 1) The set of positive or negative statements a

    DRAFT: RULES OF ETHICAL ARGUMENT

    1) The set of positive or negative statements alone is not a sufficient description of any moral rule.

    If you cannot state both the positive and negative assertions you do not yet understand that which you claim.

    Examples:

    The right of association (positive) and the right of exclusion (negative).

    The right to property (positive), the prohibition on free riding(negative).

    Do unto others as you would have others do unto you (positive), do not unto others that you do not want done to you (negative).

    2) If you cannot state your argument in operational language then you do not understand it sufficiently to make a truth claim.

    Nothing “is”. The verb to-be is used to obscure one’s causal ignorance – man acts. Nothing “is” independent of action describing its conception.

    3) Cooperation vs Free Riding.

    (Undone:)

    4) Morals: Moral rules prohibit free riding. Rules enumerating criminal, ethical, moral, conspiratorial and conquest prohibitions constitute the sets of prohibitions on free riding from the most individual and direct to the most collective and indirect.

    5) Fully informed voluntary consent to transfer, is the only test of moral action. Any action causing transfer (imposing cost) without fully informed voluntary consent is immoral – a violation of the prohibition on free riding that is the necessary precondition for rational mutually beneficial cooperation.

    6) Exchanges (production): fully informed, mutually productive, warrantied, voluntary exchange exclusive of negative externality is the only test of moral exchange.

    These are six of the laws of ethical argument.

    (Undone: add property / commons )


    Source date (UTC): 2014-06-10 04:33:00 UTC

  • I agree to cooperate with you as long as it is not harmful to do so. I dont even

    I agree to cooperate with you as long as it is not harmful to do so. I dont even require that it is profitable. It just cannot subject me to effort, expenditure or loss.

    But parasitism is not something I agree to.

    And progressivism is parasitism.


    Source date (UTC): 2014-06-09 07:51:00 UTC

  • Rothbardian ethics are all well and good if you want to be a parasite within a h

    Rothbardian ethics are all well and good if you want to be a parasite within a high trust low transaction cost society – and harm it in exchange. Or you want to construct a low trust society with high transaction costs that allow you to be one of many parasites.

    But rothbardianism legalizes parasitism under high transaction costs, that are WORSE than the parasitism of the state and its low transaction costs.

    Rothbardianism is worse than statism.


    Source date (UTC): 2014-06-06 02:51:00 UTC

  • Proportionality vs Trust. (note to self) Haidt refers to the moral instinct agai

    Proportionality vs Trust.

    (note to self)

    Haidt refers to the moral instinct against free riding as “proportionality”, because our instinct includes a prohibition against disproportionate reward and consumption.

    In a family or polity, that might be a correct projection. But I see it as constraint on consumption similar to the control of alphas. I am not sure it is a question of trust necessary for cooperation.

    Free riding affects trust – willingness to cooperate. Punishment for violation of trust. Criminal (violence theft), Unethical (fraud and deception), Immoral (externalization).

    Overconsumption may be immoral, perhaps. A deprivation of the commons. I suspect that is a better answer than proportionality – which is incalculable.

    Yes. That’s probably correct.


    Source date (UTC): 2014-05-29 02:15:00 UTC

  • You know, we can put morality back into economics, and radically change politics

    You know, we can put morality back into economics, and radically change politics.

    The human instinct against free riding isn’t escapable in economics. we must account for it.


    Source date (UTC): 2014-05-28 06:52:00 UTC

  • PRESERVING THE BENEFITS OF LIBERTY FOR THE EXCLUSIVE ENJOYMENT OF THE WILLING By

    PRESERVING THE BENEFITS OF LIBERTY FOR THE EXCLUSIVE ENJOYMENT OF THE WILLING

    By Eli Harman

    —“Asking people to forego parasitism (if they’re weak) or predation (if they’re strong) is asking them to bear a substantial opportunity cost. They will only do so if someone stands ready to impose a higher actual cost for choosing to engage in them.

    This is what Curt Doolittle means when he says “liberty must be manufactured by violence.”

    Libertarians love to sing liberty’s praises, and there is much to be said in its favor. But it does not follow from this that liberty is always in everyone’s best interests. There are many people who stand to lose more from liberty than they would stand to gain. (And not just because they misperceive the situation.) There are still more people for whom the uncertainty over what they would stand to gain or lose would make desiring liberty irrational.

    The incentives that favor liberty do not exist by default, they must be proactively created. And in order for this to happen there must be people likely to benefit from liberty, strong people, capable people, wise people, intelligent people, responsible people, farsighted people; in short, aristocrats. And they must organize to impose liberty on the remainder by force, and in many cases, to their detriment, or to their enduring resentment.

    If liberty is thus to be manufactured, the problem of free-riding must also be overcome by institutional forms that deny the benefits of liberty to those unwilling to participate in its manufacture, and that preserves the benefits for the exclusive enjoyment of those so willing.”—

    Aristocracy in a nutshell.


    Source date (UTC): 2014-05-28 05:00:00 UTC

  • WHAT LIBERTARIANS HAVE RIGHT AND WRONG WHAT WE HAVE RIGHT 1) Property + Voluntar

    WHAT LIBERTARIANS HAVE RIGHT AND WRONG

    WHAT WE HAVE RIGHT

    1) Property + Voluntary, fully informed, warrantied, exchange, free of negative externality.

    2) Contract + Common Law + Universal Standing

    3) Competing Insurance Companies for the purpose of Regulation.

    4) Economics: Voluntary organization of Production + Incentives + Competition

    WHAT CONSERVATIVES HAVE RIGHT (AND WE HAVE WRONG)

    1) Morality (‘Durkheimian Man’) requires many institutional means of coercion into respect for, and observation of, and enforcement of, property rights.

    2) The Nuclear and Absolute Nuclear Family as the minimum organizational unit of any social order.

    WHAT THE PROGRESSIVES HAVE RIGHT (AND WE HAVE WRONG)

    1) Observance and enforcement of the property rights necessary for the voluntary organization of production, when one is not ABLE to participate in it, requires compensation for the effort of observance and enforcement. (Although they would never articulate it in this manner. The right of exclusion must be respected, but respecting it is a cost.)


    Source date (UTC): 2014-05-27 09:34:00 UTC