Tzeentch

You truly concern yourself with "winning" in such great games? I personally don't walk around with the weight of the world on my shoulders. Being a mo...

We may disagree on what is reasonable, so let us not through coercion force upon others what we believe to be reasonable. Not all of life is involunta...

A perfect argument for small government. Indeed, but individuals do not partake in this system voluntarily, so I don't agree that one shares any respo...

They are not my actions, and I am not so sure there exists any moral responsibility to rely on unjust means to attain what one considers desirable res...

Then there shall be no solution that I am willing to be a part of. The words "rightful" and "property" could each fill a forum thread on their own, an...

No. "Might makes right" and "the ends justify the means" are not suitable principles to base one's actions upon. It stops us from regarding it as a ju...

Voluntary interaction and association, of course. That is not something I have said. And where is that right derived from? If some people agree, they ...

Note that I have not argued that taxation is theft. What I am arguing is that threatening people with violence is undesirable, in most cases immoral, ...

You wish to make a case for "might makes right", which is fine. But I don't think you would like the implications. Do you think your body is your righ...

I would disagree that it can be justified, but in such a case it can be tolerated. We are, however, continuing to assume states are benevolent and don...

Indeed. Though, I think recognizing it as a necessary evil avoids stepping into the pitfall of regarding it as a just means to an end.

Just like a child does not choose to be born in the father's home, so the individual does not choose to be born within a state's borders. It is analag...

I could ask the same of you, no? All I know is that "might makes right" is no basis. I am not. I don't think all moral conflicts need a solution. And ...

If you truly believe this, then I think further discussion on this subject will be fruitless. Governments don't have a right to anything, other than w...

As I said, the difference is between coercion (forcing someone to do something by threatening with violence) and deterrence (stopping someone from doi...

As I said.

I think this example clearly constitutes theft. Just because someone lives under someone else's roof, does not forfeit their right to their property.

I thought people pondering over the skin color of their baby were suggesting Meghan was having an affair. :lol:

An assumption takes place in the head of the assumer. If an individual wants to make assumptions about my reaction to them taking my property, then I ...

It is. Therefore, the threat is clearly stated and no assumption needs to be made. The fact that I was going to share the loaf of broad, does not chan...

I'm not sure what you're saying here. I think the somewhat bleak picture you are sketching is exactly the world we are living in now. People apparentl...

Is it?

How many would pay taxes if there wasn't a punishment for not doing so? Thus, governments take what they want under threat of violence. Whether that i...

You pick some demographic and you figure out what they fear. Then you feed that fear through media and present a scapegoat.

Well said.

Even as an egoist this seems rather foolish, for aren't their political opinions more concerned with the sacrifices of others instead of their own? (I...

You must be deathly afraid that he is right.

While rational thought may lead us to conclude that retributive justice is no justice at all, reality forces the legal system to take into account the...

An interesting new trend where everything that one doesn't like is branded as "anti-Semitic".

Isn't that obvious? Why would I allow myself luxuries when I know that they cause harm? Would this make sense from an ethical standpoint? Doesn't a lu...

I do nothing of the sort.

Perhaps, but what I tried to point out is the following: To stop eating meat is basically foregoing a luxury or convenience because it came about thro...

I don't think the "leftist bias" on this forum inhibits discussion. I think the behavior of certain members, some of which probably would style themse...

I would say in a democracy the first step to better politicians is a better educated and less gullible population.

Excluding perhaps a few fringes, I'd say they all have, and are. Then you cannot attain liberty at all, and we should stop with all the false advertis...

I'd argue it is. Or does it not use the state as a means to pursue social and economic equality? So has the left moved to the right, or the right move...

There is nothing new under the sun. "New" leftism is simply a more overt and vulgar expression of what has always characterized leftism, and indeed mo...

The great paradox at the heart of all of this type of thinking, is the idea that then through the use of authority should individuals be forced to be ...

Interesting discussion. I think society, and especially governments, rely greatly on coercion to force individuals to behave in certain ways. Consider...

Perhaps he endeavored to showcase the pettiness of some of the forum's posters, and in that he certainly succeeded.

The scale of equality and heirarchy struck me as odd, as it implies that equal societies do not favor strong heirarchical structures. I think this is ...

Is it ethical to drive a car? Cars pollute the atmosphere and by driving one we contribute to the suffering of countless living beings in the same dea...

I think the intuitive answer is: he cannot. Thus, it seems a good action requires both a just intention and the intended result. We can attribute an u...

Western youth is taught from an early age to have an unhealthy relationship with sex. "Incels" are one of its many outgrowths. Lets not judge them too...

Disagreed. I don't buy this argument. This seems to be based on a severely cherry-picked version of history. There are many things humanity has been d...

What were you saying earlier about Socratic ideals? Then the argument for inaction seems obvious; by your own words you claim to have no idea what you...

Any type of information that is lacking only affirms the lack of a basis for our decision. And what if your judgement on what constitutes benefit may ...

Enough with the semantic games. We are talking about the same thing. You have acknowledged that birthing a child is taking a risk in regards to its fu...

I guess what it boils down to is the claim that at the point of decision there is no individual whose well-being can be violated, foregoing the fact t...

One only needs to conclude there is no way of knowing, and make decisions based on that. Some may want to risk it. Others may not. I lean towards the ...