Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Volunteerism vs Authoritarianism

And in your dream of darkness
I came shining like the sun
Waiting for the laughter
But the laughter never comes
--Firefall

In this insightful interview, Ron Paul offers that he generally steers clear of labels for political groups such as conservatives, liberals, and libertarians because their imprecise meaning. He likes to think of social philosophies as falling into one of two groups, however.

Volunteerism is belief that life should be done on voluntary terms. People are free to do what they want as long as they reject aggression.

Authoritarianism is belief that it is possible for some person or group to know what is best for others. Some people are idiots and can't be responsible for themselves. Thus, it is the charge of people who 'know better' to force others, using the strong arm of government, to comply with their wishes.

Oddly, authoritarians act aggressively on others for what they feel is the others' own good.

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