I’m discussing (well a monologue so far) the nature of politics at Libertarians Are Not Anarchists!. Commenter Peter Jackson thinks he has figured it out.
There are three types of politics: the politics of social justice, the politics of public order/social virtue, and the politics of individual freedom.
But he misses something deeper.
There is another unspoken force in politics:
It does not actually want to solve problem xxxx. It wants an outlet for feelings of moral superiority. i.e. some one to punish. A scape goat.
Here is another take on the same idea:
“Distrust anyone in whom the desire to punish is powerful” Friedrich Nietzsche
Such folks are immune to reason. Why? Because what they do is not based on reason. It is based on a need for, as George Orwell put it: “two minutes of hate”. I acknowledge that it is a powerful force in human nature. So I propose hating the Andromeda Galaxy. It should be safe from our hate for at least another few decades. Maybe longer.
H/T Instapundit
Cross Posted at Power and Control
Comments
8 responses to “Hating The Andromeda Galaxy”
I might add that American politics is defined by your object of hate.
For the left: “the rich”
For the right: “dopers”
Stereotypes to be sure. With a grain of truth.
Who do libertarians hate: “the irrational” which is to say those who put their hate above reason. You can see it in the title of one of their main magazines Reason.
HAHAHHA!
Very sneaky.
Since people will expend enormous amounts of energy to eliminate their hate objects, picking Andromeda will naturally spur the technology that allows us to reach it.
I like it.
There are three types of politics: the politics of social justice, the politics of public order/social virtue, and the politics of individual freedom.
Yes, he’s basically correct on that score. Though there may well be more than just those three. There’s the religious view of order and justice, for instance.
It’s also true that there are many different understandings of “freedom”. There is the generally Marxist idea that there can be no true freedom while massive economic inequality exists. There is the conservative view that “freedom” is best understood to mean civic freedom, the right of the people to make the laws, and majoritarianism. And there is the libertarian notion that freedom must always mean individual freedom from physical and social coercion.
Who do libertarians hate: “the irrational”
Self-serving nonsense. I’d think that a man of your years would have gotten past the stage of glibly lying to himself. There is nothing especially “rational” about libertarian beliefs.
And one thing you should remember – back when you were a communist you also saw yourself as being “rational” and “scientific”.
So flenser,
I guess you have always been that way. My condolences.
Ah! Reviving Art Hoppe’s “Love Everyone Except Antarcticans” campaign!
Actually it was Art Kleps and The Boo Hoo Bible, The Neo-American Church Catechism and Handbook. The chapter on the plan to hate Saturn – planet of limitation.
Peter Taylor’s proposal for Yet Another Space Alien Cult is a good take on this:
http://home.earthlink.net/~peter.a.taylor/midrash.htm
(Long piece, but worth taking the time over.)