Is there any sound, rational dispute of the assertion that the Philosophy of Liberty, based on the principle of self-ownership, is the most universally accepted moral position with regard to the way we should relate to others regardless of ethnicity, religion, social status, or any other distinction?
If you don’t own yourself, what other human being does? If you are a person who believes that society owns you, that you are a small part of a giant collective, I will not argue with you as you are entitled to your own belief system. But do you believe that you have the right to coerce others into accepting your belief system by force?
Once you have come to the realization that YOU are the sole owner of your life and you own no one else’s, several questions must be answered.
If you don’t own the lives of other people, how can you assign ownership of your neighbors’ life and/or property to yourself or others? Isn’t that theft? Regardless of how this reassignment of ownership comes about, whether via a gun to the head or at the ballot box, theft is immoral. The fact that society makes moral exceptions for theft when it takes place through officially approved means does not magically convert theft into charity.
Shouldn’t all human interaction be voluntary? Or should people be forced into associations with others against their will? Should people be forced to fund or support other people’s agendas against their will? We were taught from the time we were small children that it is wrong to initiate force against others to bend them to our will. This principle remains true as adults. It is wrong to initiate force against others to make them do what we want them to do, even if we can persuade a majority of voters to join us in using the ballot box to compel the minority to meet our demands by force.
Do you have a moral right to defend your life and/or property from the initiation of force by individuals or groups? Does it matter who the individuals are or the name of the group initiating the force? Either right is right and wrong is wrong or we have no moral compass in our society.
Do you believe you have the right to impose “leaders” on other people? Doesn’t that violate other people’s right to self-ownership?
These are important questions to resolve before the next opportunity to ask government officials to initiate force on your behalf arises.
The market, freedom, and other people’s preferences in exercising their self-ownership should not be feared. Relying on force to achieve your goals is an admission of a lack of morality and courage. We can do better than that.
Liberty on Tap 