Comment of the Day: Robert Waldmann: Will Wilkinson Tries to Rescue the Word "Libertarianism": "My first reaction is that it is generally unwise to debate the meanings of words. Rather than argue about what true libertarianism is, Wilkinson could discuss policies, their consequences and whether, in this case, consequentialism involves ignoring some human right that really exists...
...But I realise that I am silly. People do, in fact, first chooes a team and second debate what that team's goal is (unless they are playing a sport and the goal is a net or a line and it's clear).
You go to a meeting of the minds with the humans you have, not the rational beings you want. We are tribal and we will argue about the true nature of our tribes.
Given that, there are some tribes which are better left and many well intentioned -ists who should be renegades, and Wilkinson is one of them. He might continue to try to promote "liberaltarianism" (the slogan, hence the quotation marks which, aren't "scare quotes") but "libertarianism" is a distraction which prevents most people from considering his interesting ideas.
I end up thinking that we are naturally tribal, and mortal, but don't have to accept current levels of ideology and malaria. I think we can try to free ourselves from our tribe and our love of slogans and ideologies. We can try to see others as people not either one of us or them, ideas as ideas not parts of an ideology, policy proposals as proposals not points for or against our team.
To me this is the essence of true liberalism.
Robert: do you mean "scare quotes" or "'scare quotes'"?
#commentoftheday
