Comments on: Collectivism and Meaning http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/05/28/collectivism-and-meaning/ The Sweet Release of Reason Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:11:50 +0000 hourly 1 By: jerryclatham28 http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/05/28/collectivism-and-meaning/#comment-14987 jerryclatham28 Mon, 08 Jun 2009 05:22:08 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/?p=1469#comment-14987 Besides the Integra causing trouble (I swear they find me, I don’t find them) and a 30-minute long traffic snarl in the final 5 miles leading up to the George Washington Bridge, when I stopped for dinner I parked at the end of a row of stalls like normal, with one side up against a curb so only one car could park next to me (and not close at that). I looked back and saw a nice silver Mercedes CLK sitting a few rows over and one behind me. I considered parking next to <a href="http://www.chasereviews.com" rel="nofollow">www.chase.com</a> him instead since his car was nice too, and it was under a light - but then I noticed someone was still in it, so I stayed put. Before I went in for food I caught up on text messages I received while driving, and suddenly the CLK pulled around and drove by me slowly Besides the Integra causing trouble (I swear they find me, I don’t find them) and a 30-minute long traffic snarl in the final 5 miles leading up to the George Washington Bridge, when I stopped for dinner I parked at the end of a row of stalls like normal, with one side up against a curb so only one car could park next to me (and not close at that). I looked back and saw a nice silver Mercedes CLK sitting a few rows over and one behind me. I considered parking next to http://www.chase.com him instead since his car was nice too, and it was under a light – but then I noticed someone was still in it, so I stayed put. Before I went in for food I caught up on text messages I received while driving, and suddenly the CLK pulled around and drove by me slowly

]]> By: Marc http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/05/28/collectivism-and-meaning/#comment-14986 Marc Thu, 04 Sep 2008 03:57:40 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/?p=1469#comment-14986 "Our successful families are collectives, our successful companies are collectives and our successful countries are collectives." is just so much BS. The "group" is just an abstraction for several individuals. Sacrificing some for the "good of the group" really boils down to sacrificing certain individuals for the benefit of other individuals, with the state, in it's infinite wisdom, deciding who gets the elevator and who gets the shaft. The collectivist policies being espoused are just legalized plunder, being forced on us by the state. A prime requirement for an individualist society is a sound monetary system, which we are far from. The only moral role for government in a free society is contract enforcement and protection of property rights. Social interaction amongst individuals must be voluntary, not enforced by the state under threat of violence. “Our successful families are collectives, our successful companies are collectives and our successful countries are collectives.” is just so much BS. The “group” is just an abstraction for several individuals. Sacrificing some for the “good of the group” really boils down to sacrificing certain individuals for the benefit of other individuals, with the state, in it’s infinite wisdom, deciding who gets the elevator and who gets the shaft.

The collectivist policies being espoused are just legalized plunder, being forced on us by the state. A prime requirement for an individualist society is a sound monetary system, which we are far from. The only moral role for government in a free society is contract enforcement and protection of property rights. Social interaction amongst individuals must be voluntary, not enforced by the state under threat of violence.

]]> By: Marc http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/05/28/collectivism-and-meaning/#comment-14998 Marc Thu, 04 Sep 2008 03:57:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/?p=1469#comment-14998 "Our successful families are collectives, our successful companies are collectives and our successful countries are collectives." is just so much BS. The "group" is just an abstraction for several individuals. Sacrificing some for the "good of the group" really boils down to sacrificing certain individuals for the benefit of other individuals, with the state, in it's infinite wisdom, deciding who gets the elevator and who gets the shaft. The collectivist policies being espoused are just legalized plunder, being forced on us by the state. A prime requirement for an individualist society is a sound monetary system, which we are far from. The only moral role for government in a free society is contract enforcement and protection of property rights. Social interaction amongst individuals must be voluntary, not enforced by the state under threat of violence. “Our successful families are collectives, our successful companies are collectives and our successful countries are collectives.” is just so much BS. The “group” is just an abstraction for several individuals. Sacrificing some for the “good of the group” really boils down to sacrificing certain individuals for the benefit of other individuals, with the state, in it’s infinite wisdom, deciding who gets the elevator and who gets the shaft.

The collectivist policies being espoused are just legalized plunder, being forced on us by the state. A prime requirement for an individualist society is a sound monetary system, which we are far from. The only moral role for government in a free society is contract enforcement and protection of property rights. Social interaction amongst individuals must be voluntary, not enforced by the state under threat of violence.

]]> By: Club Troppo » Missing Link Daily http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/05/28/collectivism-and-meaning/#comment-14985 Club Troppo » Missing Link Daily Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:26:16 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/?p=1469#comment-14985 [...] opponents of free speech, and Will Wilkinson tells us why he hates happiness denying ”collectivism” and its unlikely purveyors.55. KP: Who’d have imagined it? [...] [...] opponents of free speech, and Will Wilkinson tells us why he hates happiness denying ”collectivism” and its unlikely purveyors.55. KP: Who’d have imagined it? [...]

]]> By: Will Wilkinson / The Fly Bottle » Blog Archive » Uncooperative Collectivsm http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/05/28/collectivism-and-meaning/#comment-14984 Will Wilkinson / The Fly Bottle » Blog Archive » Uncooperative Collectivsm Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:23:09 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/?p=1469#comment-14984 [...] tribes; and there is liberal solidarity, which is based not in exclusion but in a less “meaningful” but much more materially significant relations of extended mutual  advantage. addthis_url [...] [...] tribes; and there is liberal solidarity, which is based not in exclusion but in a less “meaningful” but much more materially significant relations of extended mutual  advantage. addthis_url [...]

]]> By: Micha Ghertner http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/05/28/collectivism-and-meaning/#comment-14983 Micha Ghertner Fri, 30 May 2008 01:42:14 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/?p=1469#comment-14983 mk, Who says there isn't a lot of meaning in playing status games? I thought the problem with status games isn't that they are meaningless, but that they are zero-sum. They are meaningful for those who win. Pithlord, <blockquote>However, you need to argue that it is impossible to have a moderate ethic of public spiritedness</blockquote> <a href="http://www.independent.org/publications/tir/article.asp?articleID=536&issueID=42" rel="nofollow">This might be on point</a>. mk,

Who says there isn’t a lot of meaning in playing status games? I thought the problem with status games isn’t that they are meaningless, but that they are zero-sum. They are meaningful for those who win.

Pithlord,

However, you need to argue that it is impossible to have a moderate ethic of public spiritedness

This might be on point.

]]> By: Micha Ghertner http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/05/28/collectivism-and-meaning/#comment-14997 Micha Ghertner Fri, 30 May 2008 01:42:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/?p=1469#comment-14997 mk, Who says there isn't a lot of meaning in playing status games? I thought the problem with status games isn't that they are meaningless, but that they are zero-sum. They are meaningful for those who win. Pithlord, <blockquote>However, you need to argue that it is impossible to have a moderate ethic of public spiritedness</blockquote> <a href="http://www.independent.org/publications/tir/article.asp?articleID=536&issueID=42" rel="nofollow">This might be on point</a>. mk,

Who says there isn’t a lot of meaning in playing status games? I thought the problem with status games isn’t that they are meaningless, but that they are zero-sum. They are meaningful for those who win.

Pithlord,

However, you need to argue that it is impossible to have a moderate ethic of public spiritedness

This might be on point.

]]> By: ted http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/05/28/collectivism-and-meaning/#comment-14982 ted Thu, 29 May 2008 01:31:04 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/?p=1469#comment-14982 Maybe you could go a day without thinking something has to be different. Maybe you could go a day without thinking something has to be different.

]]> By: ted http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/05/28/collectivism-and-meaning/#comment-14992 ted Thu, 29 May 2008 01:31:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/?p=1469#comment-14992 Maybe you could go a day without thinking something has to be different. Maybe you could go a day without thinking something has to be different.

]]> By: muirgeo http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/05/28/collectivism-and-meaning/#comment-14981 muirgeo Wed, 28 May 2008 23:25:34 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/?p=1469#comment-14981 "And if you chase after the almighty dollar, you just might find that you are led, as if by an invisible hand, to do things that improve the lives of others." Or you might just find in your chase of the almighty dollar that you are in the advantagous position of being a Wall Street Banker or Hedge Fund manager benifiting from the Fed and it's inflationary policies such that you can make massive amounts of wealth on speculative assett bubbles that add nothing to economic productivity and in fact steal from those "every single humans that count" and are hard working actually producing something of true economic value. It's possible you might find that those "every human lives that count" don't count as much because of your blind pursuit of the dollar you were able to shake the invisible hand or tie it to a chair. “And if you chase after the almighty dollar, you just might find that you are led, as if by an invisible hand, to do things that improve the lives of others.”

Or you might just find in your chase of the almighty dollar that you are in the advantagous position of being a Wall Street Banker or Hedge Fund manager benifiting from the Fed and it’s inflationary policies such that you can make massive amounts of wealth on speculative assett bubbles that add nothing to economic productivity and in fact steal from those “every single humans that count” and are hard working actually producing something of true economic value. It’s possible you might find that those “every human lives that count” don’t count as much because of your blind pursuit of the dollar you were able to shake the invisible hand or tie it to a chair.

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