Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site genrad.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!uwvax!harvard!godot!mit-eddie!genrad!stuart From: stuart@genrad.UUCP (stuart) Newsgroups: net.philosophy,net.politics Subject: Re: libertarianism Message-ID: <399@genrad.UUCP> Date: Sun, 7-Oct-84 18:43:37 EDT Article-I.D.: genrad.399 Posted: Sun Oct 7 18:43:37 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 9-Oct-84 19:31:47 EDT References: <> Reply-To: stuart@genrad.UUCP () Distribution: net Organization: GenRad, Bolton, Mass. Lines: 20 Xref: godot net.philosophy:504 net.politics:2190 Summary: >quantities of wealth, backed by the claim that since one's ancestors and/or >trading partners gave it to one, one therfore "owns" it? But where did >THOSE people get it from (or from whom did they take it?) And let there be >no doubt that LIBERTARIANS ARE QUITE WILLING TO USE PHYSICAL FORCE to >protect "their" "property" (translation: to protect the status quo)! > What I find quite revealing here is the "where did THOSE people get it from (or from whom did they take it?)." This view that wealth is a static entity simply found lying around in nature is quite the opposite of what really happened( happens). Wealth is, for the most part, created by people. My computer terminal was not just found in the dark side of the forest waiting to be exploited. People put it together from items that other people put together from items ... . Of course, the raw materials were just lying around, but even then, alot of effort probably went into obtaining and refining them. It is that EFFORT which the author of the above passage thinks so very, very little of. The ameliorating circumstances which might count in that authors favor, are that such misconceptions are so widespread that its easy for someone to fall into the trap.