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From: mwm@ucbtopaz.CC.Berkeley.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Re: Exactamoondo!
Message-ID: <622@ucbtopaz.CC.Berkeley.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 7-Jan-85 12:32:38 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbtopaz.622
Posted: Mon Jan  7 12:32:38 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 9-Jan-85 05:47:03 EST
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Organization: Univ. of Calif., Berkeley CA USA
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> From faustus@ucbcad.UUCP Wed Dec 31 16:00:00 1969
> What I have trouble with is why, out of all the possible "basic goods"
> people could want, libertarians seem to have a fixation for freedom
> from force.  Whenever a philosophical position claims that one thing
> is an absolute good, to be followed to the exclusion of everything
> else, I think that this shows there is something fundamentally wrong
> with it. What is wrong with saying, "coercion only in a few cases where
> the situation justifies it"? Or, "coercion only when the majority
> opinion is in favor of it"? 
> 
> 	Wayne

Wayne -

You asked two different questions, so you deserve two different answers.

First, "the will of the majority." Said will changes, and is not an always
good. Two examples: Slavery in the US. That was the will of the majority, but
was it good? Second, if two people decide that a third persons money should
be redistributed, that makes them a majority. This is normally called theft.
Why should the numbers being 2 million and 1 million make things any
different?

Now, "only when the situation justifies it." We are now getting to the
heart of the matter. *How* do you decide that "the situation justifies
it?" If everybody thought it was justified, then you shouldn't need to
coerce anybody. If somebody thinks it isn't justified, how do you decide
who is right? Majority rule? Or maybe you believe in an "Absolute Good"
that you can use to make the decision?