Donnadogsoth

(1) The successful survival of the human race. "Successful survival" means long-term, beyond the immediate survival. It means setting up foundations for success, such as soft and hard infrastructure, and the education of the populace in classical culture, both science and art. Given that such is in tune with the essence of the universe--that human creativity is tapped and nourished--it will lead to general human happiness. Happiness and survival, survival and happiness. (2) Some people are dangerous animals; the entire populace is a dangerous animal if insufficiently educated, incapable of looking after its own interests. The greater the education (in classical terms) the more autonomy the populace can be entrusted with. Ideally we have a system of absolute autonomy, but this requires the foundational culture.

Well, here, it comes down to Ayn Rand versus Lyndon LaRouche, the latter of whom argues that a healthy, living or "negentropic" economy requires massive inputs into science and infrastructure, which inputs can only be arranged by government. He argues that "free trade" is always a front for ulterior interests, in the USA's case, Britain. So according to him the kind of capitalism the ancaps propose would never form, it would always devolve into forming a scum of tyranny up top. He situates FDR not in terms of advancing world socialism, but as advancing the American System under Alexander Hamilton. Basically, smash the power of monetarism and use government regulation and credit to weed and water the capitalist garden.

And I'm still not persuaded FDR wasn't a great President, or even that Statism is always wrong. But Stefan makes a good case that there is another dimension of political and moral existence that has been intentionally swept under the bed for most of human history, so I'm willing to hear more. Myself, I'm from Canada, where I have yet to meet even a single anarchocapitalist, though I've met anarchocommunists before. People of good will can come from every political stripe.

Now, hold, on, people. Let's listen to what Genevieve says. She's basically saying the free market society has marginalised the concept of charity, inluding immediately charity towards one's fellows, not just organised charity one donates to. And along with this she proposes the principle of paying it forward, as others have proposed. So charity and paying it forward. This is a wonderful idea that gets past people's resistance to being helped, “I ain't one fer takin' charity.” “It's not charity, it's a loan, payable back to anyone who needs it.” “Well, that's different, then. Much obliged.” Why shouldn't we have a “maternal gift economy” competing with the market economy? As long a the market is allowed to function, how is it illegal or immoral to give gifts? That's an option grounded in the very idea of private property. She's wrong on a few counts, of course. (1) Profit need not be win-lose, it can be win-win when you have more cans of soup than you can eat and I have more can-openers than I can use. (2) Free housework was never understood as free, it was understood as part of a role, with the husband earning the money to maintain the operations of the household. (3) The idea that freshwater is less abundant now than it was millennia ago is a joke, as was pointed out. (4) And somehow the rejection of “dominance, power and the ability to judge” doesn't square with reality. Humans are built to judge. How can we operate without judging, other than by sitting beneath a bohdi tree until we start to death? Power is the nature of the game, power for humans to survive through the discovery, transmission, and assimilation of principles of nature. And dominance, well, that word is a code for “let's never kill anything” which is code for “let's kill most people on the planet so they won't compete with Nature.” But she's right about Terminator Seeds, so long a the farmers involved are being strongarmed into using it and the laws prevent them from buying traditional seeds. But this has nothing to do with “material giving economies.” I say give “paying it forward” a shot. Freedom ringing and all that, mixed with human compassion and a desire to avoid charity.

Any place where the possibility of averting WWIII is to be found rings the right bell. Maybe there are other bells here that ring falsely, maybe not. Time will tell about the bells. Cpl Ferro