[extropy-chat] POLITICS: terrorism and strategies

[Rafal Smigrodzki]

Natasha Vita-More wrote:

> At 10:20 PM 6/24/04 -0700, Reason wrote:
> 
>> My 2c addition to this thread is to point out that the only moral way
>> forward is the libertarian one: to lead by example in the company of 
>> those
>> who want to help. You don't win friends and help to make a better 
>> world by
>> threatening and demonstrating that you can tear things down (literally or
>> figuratively). To make a better world, you get on with building: those 
>> who
>> want to build - the vast majority of humanity - will join you. Those who
>> don't wish to build are marginalized in every possible way by this 
>> strategy.
> 
> 
> 
> "only only moral way forward is the libertarian one..."  For goodness 
> sakes, this is another slam-dunk "I'm right and you are wrong." 
> sensibility that aggravates people.
> 
> A hell of a lot of people share this world view.  I dare say that they 
> are not libertarian.  So then, if you claim that libertarians, and not 
> other political dogmas, claim this world view, isn't that hypocritical 
> and stated to say "I'm better than you" ?

### Aside from the strong forms of moral relativism, most moral beliefs 
include a conviction about their own relative superiority - after all, 
why would anybody hold a belief if not because it's better than others?

Of course then, if you are a libertarian, you will hold that the only 
moral way is the libertarian way - as I indeed believe, too. This is 
however substantially different from saying "I'm better than you" - 
indeed, the core of libertarian thinking is the deepest humility towards 
others, an unwillingness to force our views on them. We are not better, 
even if our views are the only moral way.

Rafal