How Should We Treat Our
Neighbor ? Episode 1 :
Why is America suffering from political division and bitterness ? Why do we disagree so much about government policy ? What is the proper role of government ? As a young man, I began pondering these questions in 1985. It seemed to me that there must be an alternative to the two major political parties that have led us into this culture of discord. After years of reading articles and books, and listening to lectures, I have found that alternative and have created these podcasts to share it with you, dear listener. A libertarian approach provides us with a perspective on life and government that resolves our current problems of political division and bitterness, allowing each of us to enjoy free and prosperous lives. Of this, I hope to persuade you.
Before commencing the political discussion, I'll make a point about definitions of terms. The Chinese philosopher, Kong Fuzi, better known by the Latinized name "Confucius", reportedly made these two statements –
"All wisdom is rooted in learning to call things
by the right name"
[ Note 1 ]
"If names be not correct, language is not in
accordance with the truth of things"
[ Note 2 ]
It's important that our language be in accordance with the truth of things, so we should learn to call things by the right name. Unfortunately, in political discussions, we often fail to properly define the words we use. This failure leads to confusion or disputes that could have easily been avoided. In the hopes of promoting clearer thinking and greater understanding, this podcast will provide definitions of important terms, as needed.
Now, let's begin with a discussion of government as an institution. Each of us interacts with many different institutions in our society. For example, a church, a discussion group, a club, an employer, a vendor, a charity or a government.
We understand that each of these institutions has a set of rules or standards about how we may behave while engaging with it. When in church, the attendee may not make loud noises that disrupt the service. When at work, the employee may not interfere with others doing their own jobs. A discussion group would probably have some rules about when each participant is allowed to speak, about what and for how long.
In those three examples, a person who does not like the rules of the institution may choose to end the association with it. It is possible to leave a church, quit a job, or stop attending a discussion group. The relationship of each of those institutions with the individual is consensual. The relationship continues only as long as both parties consent to it.
However, the nature of government institutions is different. Government creates laws and regulations which are enforced within the borders of its territory. All persons within that territory are obliged to comply with those laws and regulations, even if they do not agree with them. For an individual who does not comply, government has the power to administer a punishment, which may be a monetary fine, imprisonment, deportation or even death.
The key difference is that government is allowed to use force against the individual. No other institution is allowed to do that. The church, the employer, the discussion group, the club, or the vendor each must have a consensual relationship with an individual. The relationship of government with the individual is not consensual, it is coercive. Evading governmental coercion requires an individual to flee its territory. That alternative, when possible, is usually not easy or quick.
The distinction between consent and coercion divides society into two realms. In civil society, all relations are consensual. To get another person to do something requires that you persuade them. If you cannot persuade them, then each is free to go their separate ways. In the political realm, all relations involve the threat of coercion or actual coercion by government.
In summary – government is an institution that is permitted to use coercion against any person who is present within the territory it controls. You may have heard someone say that "government has a monopoly on the use of force in its territory". But, in the USA, each of us is generally subject to coercion by any of three governments – the local, state and national governments. For that reason, I do not use the word "monopoly" in the definition of the term "government". It would be more accurate to say that multiple governments act as a consortium of coercive institutions in geographically overlapping territories.
When a society chooses to constitute a government, it should define the proper role of government, which is to say, the proper use of coercion in human relations. It should specify when and how force may be used, and for what purpose. Very good and short answers to those questions may be found in the famous second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence –
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that
all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving
their just powers from the consent of the governed"
[ Note 3 ]
To summarize - a government is created for the purpose of securing the rights of the individual. Government may only use force to prevent a violation of individual rights, or to punish someone who has violated the rights of another.
I think that most people prefer to be free from coercion, whether it comes from their neighbors or from a government. That is, they prefer a situation of individual liberty and see liberty as beneficial to them. In the context of politics, a person who wants to minimize coercion and maximize individual liberty is known as a libertarian. The online Oxford English Dictionary provides a useful definition –
"An advocate or defender of liberty, especially
in the political and social spheres"
[ Note 4 ]
Content on the Libertarianism.org website expands significantly on this definition with a lengthy discussion of core principles that characterize libertarians. [ Note 5 ]
Libertarians look for ways to resolve society's problems without resorting to coercion, whether inter-personal or governmental in origin. That is, they want to expand the realm of civil society, which is based in consent, and minimize the realm of government, which is based in coercion. Consensual solutions to most issues are possible and preferable.
Based on the understanding that the proper role of government is to use coercion to secure the rights of the individual, these are some examples where such use is valid –
· Imprisoning a murderer for violating another person's right to life,
· Imprisoning a burglar, thief, or arsonist for violating someone's property rights,
· Forcing a motorist who caused an accident to pay for repairs to another motorist's damaged vehicle,
· Forcing a person who defrauded investors of their wealth to reimburse the victims for their losses.
I think that most people, whether conservative, progressive or libertarian, would agree that these uses of governmental coercion are justifiable, as each case involves an identifiable victim whose rights have been violated.
However, the use of governmental coercion in our society is far more pervasive. Here is an abbreviated list of examples –
· Government coercively takes wealth from us taxpayers, for purposes such as –
Ø giving it to another person who may not be in need,
Ø buying meals for the children of another,
Ø paying for someone else's healthcare or transportation,
Ø paying a farmer to not grow crops or not raise livestock,
Ø buying a farmer's crops at an artificially high price,
Ø paying for the military defense of other wealthy nations, or
Ø subsidizing the construction of sports stadiums that primarily benefit team owners.
· Government uses coercion against us for activities that do not harm anyone else. For example, to prevent –
Ø selling, buying, owning or ingesting substances that are deemed to be "bad" for us, or
Ø selling, buying or using a service that is considered "bad" for us.
· Coercion may be used against a business because it –
Ø sets prices the same as its competitors, which is called "price-fixing", or
Ø it sets prices lower than its competitors, which is called "predatory pricing", or
Ø it sets prices "too high", which is called "price gouging".
· Coercion may be used against parents to –
Ø Force them to send their children to a government-run school that has chronically poor educational results, or
Ø indoctrinate children with ideas of which the parents do not approve, or
Ø punish the parents for allowing their children to walk alone on public streets, or
Ø punish them for allowing their children to play in their own yard unsupervised.
· Coercion is used against manufacturers to –
Ø force them to produce poor-quality appliances that must run for extended periods of time, such as clothes or dish washers, or
Ø prevent them from creating products that consumers would like to purchase, as is the case with types of light bulbs or toilets.
· Coercion against property owners is used to –
Ø prevent construction of dwellings because they are deemed "too large", "too small" or "too tall", or
Ø restrict use of property due to the presence of some plant or animal that is characterized as "endangered", or
Ø prevent owners from thinning trees and using prescribed burns to reduce the probability of wildfires on their property.
· Coercion against workers is used to –
Ø force them to join a union when they would prefer to be independent, or
Ø force them to obtain a license that may have no relevance to the job they will perform, or
Ø prevent them from reaching agreement with employers regarding the terms of employment.
· Coercion is used against consumers to force them to pay higher prices for products such as steel or sugar.
· Government coercively takes wealth from an individual based on the claim that it was obtained by committing a crime, but never proving that any crime was committed, nor even charging the person with a crime.
· Government may prevent citizens from holding police, prison guards, teachers, prosecutors and other government employees accountable for violating our rights.
· Coercion is used against entrepreneurs to force them to obtain permission from their competitors before they may start a business.
· Government prevents patients from accessing medications or medical devices that are not approved, even when such are used successfully in many other countries.
· Coercion is used against shipping companies to force them to purchase ships made in America when higher-quality ships are much cheaper when purchased from foreign producers.
From a libertarian point of view, those uses of coercion are improper because individual rights are not being protected by government, rather, rights are being violated. These improper uses of coercion will be considered in detail in future episodes of this podcast.
With so much governmental coercion intruding into all aspects of our lives, it is not surprising that American politics is now characterized by such division and rancor. Those who identify as Democrats feel that the Republicans are authoritarians, and those who identify as Republicans feel the same way about Democrats.
If you find that hard to believe, or think it's an exaggeration, consider the results of some recent public opinion polls.
The Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago had one Democratic poller and one Republican poller conduct a poll of one thousand people in May of 2022. They found that –
· Seventy-four percent of Democrats feel that Republicans are generally bullies who want to impose their political beliefs on those who disagree.
· Seventy-three percent of Republicans feel that Democrats are generally bullies who want to impose their political beliefs on those who disagree.
[ Note 6 ]
The Center for Politics at the University of Virginia conducted a poll of just over two thousand people in July and August of 2021. The pollees were almost equally divided between voters who chose Donald Trump and those who chose Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Here are some selected results –
· Eighty percent of Biden voters agreed that elected officials of the Republican party present a clear and present danger to American democracy.
· Eighty-four percent of Trump voters agreed that elected officials of the Democratic party present a clear and present danger to American democracy.
· Eighty percent of Biden voters agreed that they, or someone close to them, might experience personal loss or suffer due to future Republican policies.
· Eighty-two percent of Trump voters agreed that they, or someone close to them, might experience personal loss or suffer due to future Democratic policies.
[ Note 7 ]
The Pew Research Center conducted a survey of 6,174 people in June and July of 2022. Pew Research claims that the survey is "weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories". Again, some selected results –
· Eighty-three percent of Democrats say that Republicans are more close-minded.
· Sixty-nine percent of Republicans say that Democrats are more close-minded.
· Sixty-four percent of Democrats say that Republicans are more dishonest.
· Seventy-two percent of Republicans say that Democrats are more dishonest.
· Sixty-three percent of Democrats say that Republicans are more immoral.
· Seventy-two percent of Republicans say that Democrats are more immoral.
· Ninety-two percent of Democrats have an unfavorable or very unfavorable view of the Republican party.
· Ninety-six percent of Republicans have an unfavorable or very unfavorable view of the Democratic party.
· An interesting outcome of this survey was that only twelve percent of Republicans and fifteen percent of Democrats say they chose their partisan identification based on how their friends or family identify. A majority of each party's supporters said that their choice was based on their view of which party's policies were either good or bad for the country.
[ Note 8 ]
From a libertarian perspective, both political parties have a tendency to exaggerate what they claim to be the good outcomes of their policies, while minimizing, ignoring or hiding the bad outcomes of their policies. Regarding their opponent's policies, each party tends to minimize the claimed good outcomes and exaggerate the possible bad outcomes. So, it is difficult for the casual observer of on-going political debates to get to the truth of the situation.
In upcoming episodes of this podcast series, I will describe principles that libertarians use to evaluate the policies proposed by the two major political parties.
From this episode, I would like you to learn that government is an institution of coercion, to be contrasted with other institutions that operate via consent. Coercion may only be used by government to secure the rights of the individual.
Before proposing that government be used to solve what you see as a social problem, first ask "Who's rights have been violated ?" or "Who is the victim ?". If there is no violation of rights, there is no role for coercion, no role for government. In a future episode, I will discuss the concept of "rights" in detail.
If there has been a rights violation, can it be resolved consensually by the concerned parties ? That is always preferable to the use of coercion. The use of coercion should be the last choice, not the first.
Think of government as a big gun. Every law or regulation is a reason to point the big gun at your neighbor's head to force them to do, or not do something. Why must we reach for the gun to resolve that particular issue ? Has a consensual solution been attempted ? Do you know that a consensual solution is impossible ?
Whenever you find yourself saying –
"I want the government to get people to do that",
translate that into the true meaning of that phrase –
"I want agents of the government to threaten my
neighbors with fines, violence, imprisonment or death to get them to do that".
That is the ultimate result of using government as a solution.
I will leave you with a quote from George Washington, the first president of the United States of America –
"Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action."
[ Note 9 ]
A transcript of this episode is available on the “Podcasts” tab of the website “hswton.com”. The link may be found by expanding the plus sign next to the episode number and title. The transcript also contains supporting notes and links for quotes, definitions and other content contained in this episode.
Thank you for listening. I hope you will continue with the next episode of "How Should We Treat Our Neighbor ?".
Good day.
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Note |
1 |
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Author |
Kong Fuzi, also known as "Confucius" |
|
Author URL |
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|
Date modified |
2023 May 30 |
|
Quote |
"All wisdom is rooted in learning to call things by the right name" |
|
Quote URL |
https://www.morefamousquotes.com/quotes/3758061-all-wisdom-is-rooted-in-learning-to-call.html |
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Date accessed |
2023 May 31 |
|
Note |
2 |
|
Author |
Kong Fuzi, also known as "Confucius" |
|
Author URL |
|
|
Date modified |
2023 May 30 |
|
Quote |
"If names be not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things" |
|
Quote URL |
https://china.usc.edu/confucius-analects-13#:~:text=If%20names%20be%20not%20correct |
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Date accessed |
2023 May 31 |
|
Note |
3 |
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Authors |
The Committee of Five - John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, Roger Sherman |
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Authors URL |
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-history#:~:text=The%20Committee%20of%20Five |
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Date reviewed |
2023 January 31 |
|
Quote |
Declaration of Independence, second paragraph, first 56 words |
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Date completed |
1776 July 04 |
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Quote URL |
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript#:~:text=We%20hold%20these%20truths |
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Date reviewed |
2018 May 14 |
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Note |
4 |
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Source |
Oxford English Dictionary Online |
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Source URL |
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Publisher |
Oxford University Press |
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Definition of |
"libertarian", meaning 2a |
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Definition URL |
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Date of entry |
2022 December |
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Date accessed |
2023 June 02 |
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Comment |
The OED.com website requires a paid subscription. Access is also possible via some public library websites. |
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Note |
5 |
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Source |
libertarianism.org website |
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Source URL |
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Publisher |
Cato Institute |
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Content title |
What is a libertarian ? |
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Content URL |
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Date accessed |
2023 June 02 |
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Note |
6 |
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Source |
The University of Chicago Institute of Politics |
|
Source URL |
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Content title |
Our Precarious Democracy - Extreme Polarization and Alienation in Our Politics |
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Content URL |
https://uchicagopolitics.opalstacked.com/uploads/homepage/Polarization-Poll.pdf |
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Date accessed |
2023 June 02 |
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Note |
7 |
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Source |
The University of Virginia Center for Politics |
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Source URL |
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Content title |
New Initiative Explores Deep, Persistent Divides Between Biden and Trump Voters |
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Content URL |
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Date posted |
2021 September 30 |
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Note |
8 |
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Source |
Pew Research |
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Source URL |
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Content title |
As Partisan Hostility Grows, Signs of Frustration With the Two-Party System |
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Content URL |
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Date posted |
2022 August 09 |
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Note |
9 |
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Author |
George Washington |
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Author URL |
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|
Date accessed |
2023 June 02 |
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Quote |
"Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master …" |
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Quote URL |
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Date accessed |
2023 June 02 |
Transcript and notes last updated – 2023 December 07
Copyright 2023, by James W. Troy. All rights reserved.