Wadda You Know?
Oct. 21st, 2013 08:32 amA libertarian friend of a friend asked me two questions this morning and I thought they bear repeating:
1. Do you think people don't act in their best interests? This was in response to my incredulous thoughts of people moving to Texas
2. Do I think I know better than other people?
Question 1 - hell yes, with extra emphasis. People don't act in their best interests. Why is this concept so hard? People make stupid decisions all the time.
Question 2 - this is a trickier one, and strikes at the heart of why we have the forms of government we do. There are certainly people I think I know better than. See question 1. People, present company included (and myself) make stupid decisions all the time that are harmful, incompetent or just likely to cause a problem. One of the more competent people I know just spent the weekend beating themselves up for sending a poorly worded email on Friday that's going to have a lot of fallout today at work. Would I have advised not to send it? Hell yes. Do 'people' think they're ok to drive when they're not? Yes. Do people make risk assessments that they're not qualified to. All the time.
As somebody else pointed out to me, the problem actually is that Libertarians often think they know what is best for other people and that involves reducing the options for people - i.e. reducing their options for healthcare or support for the poor.
I'd just like some Libertarians to acknowledge that the idea that we're all rational actors is as nonsensical as the idea in communism that people will actually behave as equals and that you won't end up with an elite class.
1. Do you think people don't act in their best interests? This was in response to my incredulous thoughts of people moving to Texas
2. Do I think I know better than other people?
Question 1 - hell yes, with extra emphasis. People don't act in their best interests. Why is this concept so hard? People make stupid decisions all the time.
Question 2 - this is a trickier one, and strikes at the heart of why we have the forms of government we do. There are certainly people I think I know better than. See question 1. People, present company included (and myself) make stupid decisions all the time that are harmful, incompetent or just likely to cause a problem. One of the more competent people I know just spent the weekend beating themselves up for sending a poorly worded email on Friday that's going to have a lot of fallout today at work. Would I have advised not to send it? Hell yes. Do 'people' think they're ok to drive when they're not? Yes. Do people make risk assessments that they're not qualified to. All the time.
As somebody else pointed out to me, the problem actually is that Libertarians often think they know what is best for other people and that involves reducing the options for people - i.e. reducing their options for healthcare or support for the poor.
I'd just like some Libertarians to acknowledge that the idea that we're all rational actors is as nonsensical as the idea in communism that people will actually behave as equals and that you won't end up with an elite class.