tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956838.post6566001702913796724..comments2023-11-22T01:14:54.298-08:00Comments on amor mundi: "Beyond Left and Right"Dale Carricohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811055279887722298noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956838.post-78700921359845265952007-12-28T16:16:00.000-08:002007-12-28T16:16:00.000-08:00I used to think of myself as "apolitical" or "uncl...I used to think of myself as "apolitical" or "unclassifiable" (per the usual left-right designations), but I'm beginning to realize that I am at least philosophically sympathetic primarily to what you'd describe as "Left". <BR/><BR/>Socially, I'm close to 100% sure of this, however, as far as economic matters go, I just feel so horribly ignorant of how money and resources do (or don't) move between people, nations, other groups, etc., to the point where I don't see myself as qualified to <I>argue</I> for a particular economic system. <BR/><BR/>I mean, I know that I don't think taxation is "theft" (I can't see how we'd be able to have roads and public sanitation and such without some level of taxation), but I do think individual property rights are important to some extent -- e.g., I wouldn't like to live in a world where I couldn't rely on anything ever being where I left it. <BR/><BR/>I also think everyone should have a right to basic health care and that a person's life should not be dependent upon how much money they do or don't have, but I don't know exactly how such a system would be implemented on a large scale -- of course I am not saying I don't think it can be done, just that I personally don't know how it <I>would</I> be done. <BR/><BR/>I'm just not very good at Very Big Picture planning, and whenever people start arguing about which economic strategies are likely to yield maximum benefits, I find that I honestly can't even take part in those discussions from a strategic standpoint, since all I know is what I would <I>like</I> to see happen -- not whether what I want to see happen is realistic, or what means to achieve it might work best. It seems like everyone and their uncle has some argument as to why their preferred economic strategy has some historical precedent of working (and why the other guy's preferred system will likely bring ruin, etc.), and honestly it gets very difficult to parse all this at times. <BR/><BR/>I have to wonder sometimes if this is a cognitive weakness on my part, or whether many of those who seem utterly convinced that they know the One True System (not you -- even if I don't understand all the principles and theories behind your comments on taxation, I don't get a sense of shrill zealotry from what you say there) are in fact basing their convictions on something very like religious faith (this seems particularly common in "market"-oriented people).Anne Corwinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940566603711834053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956838.post-22889600671790495502007-12-26T13:32:00.000-08:002007-12-26T13:32:00.000-08:00My point of view might be authoritarian -- I just ...My point of view might be authoritarian -- I just don't know. It is not conservative (I agree with most of what you say, actually).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com