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From: cramer@kontron.UUCP (Clayton Cramer)
Newsgroups: net.politics.theory
Subject: Re: Libertarians in Space
Message-ID: <293@kontron.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 27-Jun-85 17:13:08 EDT
Article-I.D.: kontron.293
Posted: Thu Jun 27 17:13:08 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 29-Jun-85 03:31:56 EDT
References: <446@qantel.UUCP> <454@qantel.UUCP>
Organization: Kontron Electronics, Irvine, CA
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> 
> JoSH (josh@topaz) on differences between market vs. political transactions:
> 
> > Each is amenable to the same analysis, but people refuse to analyze
> > the political process in the same light they do the market.  I suggest
> > that you merely start with the same assumption:  that individuals
> > operating in a political system will all try to maximize their
> > self-interest.  Try it--I expect you'll be a libertarian by tomorrow.
> 
> Perhaps. But as I'm getting ready to turn in for the night, fully expecting 
> to wake up a libertarian, I am still bothered by the shallowness of an analysis 
> built on such assumptions. There are plenty of human impulses besides self-
> interest; I am sure you can detect some of them in yourself and those around
> you. This wild reductionist maneuver (declaring all other impulses irrelevant
> to political analysis) is reminescent of the worst vulgar Marxists who, of
> course, would substitute 'class interest' for self-interest. Otherwise, they
> proceed toward the same intellectual paradise where everything can be
> explained from first principles. 
> 
> -----
> Gabor Fencsik         {dual,nsc,hplabs,intelca,proper}!qantel!gabor   

There are many motivations besides self-interest and greed --- but there
are no so certain to be present in almost all people, almost all the
time.  The socialists assume that most people will look out for the interests
of the society as a whole; libertarians assume that most people will
look out for their own interests.  

Each ideology has constructed its systems based on these assumptions.
If the socialist is wrong, and people are greedy and unconcerned for 
others, then a socialist society will be poor and subject to tremendous 
potential for abuse of the individual.  If the libertarian is wrong, and
people are not entirely greedy, those positive attitudes will lead them
to private social activity for the good of the less fortunate.  Which
do you want to rely on?