Jumping into the fray... On 12-11-01 02:05 PM, Jacob Appelbaum wrote: > > Liberty requires acknowledging that other people exist and that we > aren't individual islands. > > Care to address the externalities on our all of our lives that others, > such as you, impose by their mere existence?
I fully agree that negative externalities (pollution, overgrazing) should be avoided by imposing those costs on the relevant parties. I don't agree that you can ethically compel others to participate in a quest to capture positive externalities. And even for negative externalities, consider the cost of trying to avoid them. How often are coercive mechanisms are co-opted by special interests? For example, look at the Farm Bill. It is the main reason that USA has such poor nutrition, because it subsidizes the wrong things. Or look at the FDA. I think we should create mechanism to avoid negative externalities, but they should be very specific and protected from special interests. Positive externalities should be captured by voluntary cooperation. > Did Dmytri correctly restate your values? Do you think people should > provide nothing as a society? They should be allowed to do so voluntarily. > > All the best, > Jacob > -- > Unsubscribe, change to digest, or change password at: > https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech -- Unsubscribe, change to digest, or change password at: https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech
