[ExI] Introduction to the Philosophy of Liberty

[Lee Corbin]

Amara writes

> After following a very random thought today, I checked in on the ISIL
> website news, and encountered this simple, charming animation "Introduction
> to the Philosophy of Liberty", written by, yes, the same Ken Schoolland.
> 
> http://www.isil.org/resources/introduction.html
> Ten minutes Flash Animation.
> 
> Many basic principles, such as self-ownershop, as seen in this animation,
> are at the root of transhumanist thought. I appreciated how they
> carefully constructed the philosophical principles, building block by
> building block (as they should ... :-) ).

Well, I started to watch that with an anticipation of disappointment, because
I have become increasingly disillusioned by the hyper-individualist ethos of
not only many of those around me, but to which in some measure I myself
had at various times succumbed.

But I was greatly reassured.  Just as you said, it carefully laid the foundations
of human liberty, and emphasized that our lives are our *own*, and no one
else's. It went on to explain how our time and the products of time (our
privately created property) are also our own, and cannot be taken from us
by force without also taking our liberty.

Unfortunately, about two-thirds of the way through, I began to notice that
something very important was missing.  Nothing whatsoever was being said
about the Rule of Law.  Yes, private property was emphasized, and rightly
so.  But the other equally important foundation of progress and civilization
was not mentioned EVEN ONCE in the ten minute show.

Nothing at all was said or implied about just how obedience to democratically
enacted laws is to be achieved!  Nothing was said about the force that duly
elected officials can and should be required to bear upon murderers, thieves,
and other law-breakers. This whole problem was passed over in the most
deafening silence.

I'm forced to conclude that once again we see the sad spectacle of an
anarchist philosophy being passed off as an Evolutionarily Stable Strategy,
or a real-world possibility.  Only in dream land.  The video suggested the
following solution to the problem of aggression from others:  everyone
should just never initiate the use of force.  Isn't that simple?  Isn't that nice?
But saying that to a gang of hoodlums who is about to mug Ken Schoolland
will do him no good, and he knows it!

He'll holler for the cops to initiate force against those who are about to
rob or kill him, even though these criminals made no action at all threatening
to the cops.  Would---in that terrible situation---he recommend that the
police *not*  initiate the use of force?

There are many "free-riders" who, having grown up under systems of
relative liberty, simply have lost sight of how the liberty evolved in the
first place. An extremely important component of our freedom is the
Rule of Law.

Lee