Someone commented on my "Ranna Rants about Rustici," post by saying,
"What does this mean?
"Not because I agree with what he says, these days. I know better now."
Did France turn you into a socialist"
Ok. first of all, please tell me who you are. Second of all, shame on you.
Let me explain what I meant. The first time that I took Rustici's class, I listened to what he said and I thought it was the word of God. The way he explained everything made it seem like the world should function in terms of Rustici. I was fascinated by his explanation of "the invisible hand," and why shortages and surpluses exist. I took what he said and I applied it to everything pertaining to my life.
Monsieur René and I would get into fights almost every night. Social medicine, minimum wages laws, social medicine.
During this same period, I took to labeling myself a libertarian. And then soon after, I took it one step further in preaching the codes and ethics of Austrian Economics. It all seemed like the perfect world.
But this year (And NO it was NOT France), I realized that here we are living in a world that doesn't function under perfect competition, that our natural rights are not always going to be protected under a John Locke-esque civil society, that as much as we would like, we are no where NEAR reaching a point like that.
Sure, it's sooo wonderful to think about everything our Economic professors tell us and think that it's possible. Sure, we can work towards making small changes. But thinking that we can shift our society into one based on social contracts and live peacefully... i just dont believe that we can. We're human beings. We're selfish. We want what's best for ourselves. I mean...ok think about it in these terms.
John has an apple
Bill has an orange
John wants the orange
Bill wants the apple
Ok, so we can trade. Sure. But what happens, if John takes the orange, but also keeps the apple. Or, Bill takes the apple, but keeps the orange.
What happens then?
I mean, as rationality and incentives are concerned, isn't that what's going to happen?
I'm not saying we should live in a police state. I don't agree with the way our government handles things here. I'm not in agreement, by any means, with this new healthcare policy Obama has whipped up.
But at the same time, I'm living in THIS world. Not a world made up by my professors. Not a world made up of two commodities, apples and oranges.
So I take what they say with a grain of salt. I work with it, and I try to apply it to the world I live in. Because that's the only thing I can do. That's the only way I can continue forward without being completely jaded by realities uncertainties.
You are making the utopian fallacy. Rustici and other Economists understand that we are not functioning under perfect competition and nowhere does Rustici (and espeically the Austrians) every say that.
ReplyDeleteSidenote: Reason why I say Austrians don't say that is because in fact that is one thing that sometimes separates them from Classical Economists. Some Austrians believe we NEVER will achieve perfect competition.
So that pretty much takes out your major point as you were just bashing classical economists, not the libertarian Austrian ones.
You second point: people are selfish.
Yes, they are and that is why giving them a government which is built upon coercion is a bad idea. In your little story, insert John as the government.
Now tell me in a society without government (which Rustici doesn't believe in btw), who is more dangerous John as an individual or John as Hitler, Lenin, or anyone who has an army.
[Siderant] The guy who steals your purse, more dangerous to society or Lenin?
The police would be better run by the government to catch "guy who steals your purse" or private?
[End Siderant]
An Army, which is not profitable in the free market. Let's remember, there are no profits in wars. Sure, you can gain things like land and stuff, but overall every nation has spent more money getting it then benefitting from it.
So it is very hard for John to wage war against Bill as an individual.
So you may have not been influenced by France but you are making very basic fallacies when talking about Libertarianism vs. (your undefined title that includes government (which 98% of Libertarians are limited government))
The system of an anarcho-capitalistic society is not one where people are not selfish or competition is perfect. That is what Marxists invisioned originally for Communism.
The systen of anarcho-capitalism is one in where the most selfish person will be the least powerful and the competition will be the most because monopolies (in general) do not appear in the free market. They are governmentally granted.
P.S. That is fine if you want to say hey I disagree with anarcho-capitalism after reading this, but that doesn't mean you abandon libertarianism. Libertarianism is limited government. You have not made a case for more government, nor defined your position. "Not living in a police state" duh but its not always one extreme or the other.
P.P.S. You insult the Economic profession and all libertarians if you think that "we" think that the world is made up of professors or two commodities. If it did then it could be centrally planned READ HAYEK.
P.P.P.S. Sorry to be harsh.
I know I already wrote a novel but I had to add. Beware of what is happening to you. Many people like extremes and they often believe they must be for one thing or be against it.
ReplyDeleteYou don't have to be for anarchy to be libertarian. You also shouldn' be scared of either because most people do not support it or that you haven't studied it enough.
If you do not know your stuff, it is easy to poke holes in it. But the mistakes you are making above leave holes inside their counter arguments so big you could drive a truck through it.
So the reason why I am harsh is because the reasons above are not the reasons not to believe anarchy and espeically not libertarianism.
They are signs that you just havent had someone mentor you well enough to answer those questions. I hope the above helped.
And ask yourself. Everyone has an ideal state of society, what makes your better than any of the others?