A common objection to Libertarian thought is: Libertarians dont think they owe anything to the society that sustains them. Lets take some time to really examine this. Lets just assume for a minute we agree that each person is in fact sustained by and therefore indebted to society. What is society? The short answer is: its everybody. How does society sustain us? By providing us things we need and even some things we like. Some examples might be: education law enforcement electricity tap water roads fire protection services Rolexes Chevys Big Macs Movies Computers ...the list could literally go on indefinitely. How are these things provided? Roads, for example, how are roads provided? People build them. It takes engineers. It takes companies that make asphalt, concrete, or steel... and the people who work for those companies. It takes trucks and drivers. It takes heavy equipment and cranes and the people who operate them. ...The list could literally go on indefinitely. In each case, each of the myriad components that contribute to creating a road is provided by someone who can make or do something, who trades it for whatever else they need (usually cash.) So in general we could say - the way society sustains us is by people trading whatever it is they make or do. ----- Now what does it mean to owe something, to be indebted? It means to be obligated to do what has been agreed upon, or at least to reciprocate what has been received. So if society sustains us by people trading with each other whatever it is they make or do... then our obligation to society is to make or do something we can trade with other people. As long as you make or do something you can trade with other people, you are fulfilling your obligation to society in every sense that can be reasonably expected of you. It is only the politicians who stand to gain by filling our heads with notions suggesting our obligation to society extends to being forcibly coerced into funding their pet programs. The politicians tell us were morally obligated to sit obediently by as money is extorted from our paychecks, for programs they promise will cure poverty, while in fact blatantly feeding off it.
Posted on: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 08:02:47 +0000
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