A paradox of liberalism:
Part of the problem is in the limitations of the golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” That is all well and good if they have the same preferences, but not if they want something different from what you would want in the same circumstances. Until further advances in technology, we are shut out of knowing directly what the world looks like from inside someone else’s mind, and have to guess based on how we would feel. But that sometimes steers us badly off target. Giving everyone personal liberty is a safeguard against our blind meddling.Confessions of a Supply-Side Liberal
Of course, applying the golden rule at a meta-level would say “I want liberty, so I should give others liberty as well.” But there are many times when liberty is a higher law than the applying the golden rule at the detailed level.
Liberty and the Golden Rule
Miles Kimball | Professor of Economics and Survey Research at the University of Michigan
3 comments:
And others may wish to live under Sharia law or some other form of enlightenment. And they may wish to bestow upon you the same gift. The golden rule looks a little oxidized and tarnished.
Here is what Jesus taught Israel:
"12 All, then, whatever you should be wanting that men should be doing to you, thus you, also, be doing to them, for this is the law and the prophets." Mat 7:12
Here is what Paul taught the nations:
"14 For the entire law is fulfilled in one word, in this: "You shall love your associate as yourself." Gal 5:14
They dont mean the same thing....
The problem with 'personal liberty' is that it will clash with others 'personal liberty' and that leads to conflict.
Social manners and social norms is the way that we resolve those conflicts without physical battle by requiring that each party back off a little bit on the shared space.
The problem with the 'personal liberty uber alles' crowd is that the resolution then boils down to who has the most wealth and power.
That's why the whole concept appeals to the 'first amongst equals' middle class champagne socialist.
Even cats can work out how to back off on shared space. It's amazing that some humans think they have the God given right not to.
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