RE: Principles: A "Pragmatist" Perspective
Kafka, this is the first post of yours that I have read. I am not a fan of Bill O'Reilly, but your quote is not given with it's source and I can't find it listed anywhere. Are you sure that he said that or are you just saying that's the kind of thinking that you think he has?
Also, I understand your point about the irony of using violence to quell violence. Sometimes, we get over zealous in our retributions or our defenses and it always need to be measured. I also wish that we could find peaceful alternatives and not go looking for war or create war for helping the military industrial complex.
One principle is that there will always be evil and always be evil people. Wishing for peace does not make evil people go away. We can ignore them and plea with them, but when their agression continues, then you can't just sit there and watch.
I also think that governments are out of control but can you give me a good example of where anarchy succeeded for any length of time?
Just continuing the dialogue, which I'm hoping that you are open to.
Hi there, @smurrah.
Thanks for commenting. The image is just a meme which used Bill O'Reilly's image. It is not attempting to present the text in the image as a quote of his.
You said:
I agree, and have never argued for this. I am a Voluntaryist and believe wholeheartedly in self-defense. However, war is done in the name of collectives. One principle (that is founded upon an objective, metaphysical reality) is the non-aggression principle, founded upon the objective reality of individual self-ownership.
War violates this nature-conferred self-ownership by dropping bombs on individuals who have violated no one. By sending innocent young men and women to some foreign land to kill and maim complete strangers. This is not legitimate, and is not self-defense.
The only just war would be for the politicians who wage it to step into an arena and fight it themselves. All else is and always will be a violation of life.
On is free to believe that violating life is acceptable, but I do not.
I am struggling with this philosophy myself.