The Grand Inquisitor

Why are so many people quick to initiate force against another human being? There are two possible explanations: (1) personal gain; and (2) greater good. Well, number 1 is obviously distasteful. It's natural to act in self interest, but all relationships should be voluntary and free of force.

Voluntary relationships exist to produce mutual benefit, where as aggression produces gain at the expense of the victim. Now, the greater good argument... As Ivan Karamazov argued with his brother Alexei in the Brothers Karamazov, would you welcome heaven on earth if all you had to do is torture an innocent child? Ivan emphatically takes the position that he would reject heaven if it was built on even just one tear of an innocent child. Of course this concept has been explored in literature many times I am sure. Ivan is correct. The ends do not justify the means (age-old question solved!). Would you volunteer your own child to be tortured if it would cure disease, or hunger? Probably not. A child in a different country whom you don't know and whose culture and lifestyle you do not understand? Well, you know where I am going with that one.

The good news is that force (used in any way other than defense against an aggressor) cannot accomplish any lofty goals. Besides the obviously inherent illegitimacy, there are actually more minuses than there are pluses when violence is used against non-violent people. Every time. When one realizes this, we can feel comfortable acting in our own self interest as much as we want as long as we don't rape or kill nobody -- all the while being part of a society that actually moves towards those same lofty goals but without violence.