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Why I fled libertarianism — and became a liberal (10 posts)
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Posted 10 years ago #
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This could have been a more in depth article. Sure, I agree with most of the stuff he says about libertarians, but his analysis is very surface oriented and his blanket dismissal of conspiracy theories seems ignorant.
I've been wondering over the last couple years about what values I really resonate with. While I don't want to be associated with much of the conspiracy crowd, there are a few voices out there that make up a small and disparate community that I consider myself part of. I would rather talk to or work with someone who is generally skeptical of the government, economy, and our treatment of the environment but who doesn't think 9/11 was an inside job than a full blown paranoid conspiracy theorist. On the other hand, I don't blame people for not believing a fucking word the media or government tells them. I've actually found myself questioning my own knee-jerk dismissal of theories that sound way too far out there. However, considering these ideas in private is a lot different than going out and promoting them. Ultimately, I think that the bravest and most aware critical thinkers would be considered conspiracy theorists and whackos by the majority.
True critical thinking is a very rigorous process, and just like truth, it can never be attained, only sought. Along the way of becoming aware of all this alternative information, most of us can admit that sometimes we've been sloppy and accepted theories and "evidence" too credulously. The brain seeks the definite and stable, so this can throw us into doubt or exhaustion.
Most of us have an automatic response to conspiratorial ideas--either skepticism or openness. What matters is our awareness of our own tendencies and our ability step back and engage our critical thinking skills.
And boy, was it a circus. Many members of the group were obsessed with the gold standard, the Kennedy assassination and the Fed. Although Libertarians believe government is incompetent, many of them subscribe to the most fringe conspiracy theories imaginable. Airplanes are poisoning America with chemicals (chemtrails) or the moon landings were faked. Nothing was too far out. A great many of them really think that 9-11 was an inside job. Even while basking in the electoral mainstream, the movement was overflowing with obvious hokum.
Posted 10 years ago # -
When you say "Most of us have an automatic response to conspiratorial ideas--either skepticism or openness" you may be right, but I consider "skepticism or openness" a false dichotomy.
What's wrong with "skepticism AND openness"? Chemtrails, ghosts, alien spacecraft, and free energy are issues about which I am skeptical enough that I have not bothered to investigate them; and I probably will not bother to investigate them. But I am open enough so that someone could possibly change my mind.
If we were more skeptical of the things to which we are open, we might be less subject to confirmation bias, and less likely to be manipulated by con artists who tell us lies we want to hear.
If we were more open to the things to which we are skeptical, we might tend more toward the habit of reserving judgment on things we know little about. And what's wrong with that?
Posted 10 years ago # -
I agree--a balance of skepticism and openness is ideal. It's also very hard to maintain, but we try.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I don't see what makes balancing skepticism and openness difficult. All you have to do is be very reluctant to believe, and be willing to admit that you don't know.
I am skeptical of the official reports on 9/11 because of the holes in them, and the obvious dishonesty (though I am open to being convinced that the thesis is correct). My skepticism doesn't make me believe that 9/11 was an inside job (though I am open to being convinced) and it doesn't make me believe that the Towers suffered controlled demolition (though I am open to being convinced).
What I do believe is that the reports are dishonest and incomplete and that new investigations are needed. Nobody has ever made any informed effort to convince me otherwise.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Here is Cannon's take on that same article:
Posted 10 years ago # -
Yeah, Libertarianism is a psychological affliction.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I'm not a Libertarian (or anything else) but Libertarians are generally more conscious of the surveillance state than most liberals, especially now that the public relations guy for the Empire is a Democrat.
Ian Woofenden, "Free Energy: Not Pie on the Plate"
Home Power magazine, October - November 2004, p. 118
renewable energy can be considered "free," but only once you pay for it. The equipment to harvest the renewable energy found in sunshine, wind, and falling water costs money, and so does maintaining the systems. You can pay for it up front, and it's a great deal, but it's not "free."
"Free energy" advocates generally aren't referring to photovoltaic (PV) panels or wind generators. They talk about energy from magnets, energy from space, and energy from black boxes that are too secret for us to get a look into ...
I'm a skeptic and a realist. My job asks me to look critically at text, and my conscience asks me to carefully examine claims about any new energy-producing device.
At the same time, I try to remain open to new ideas. PVs once were new, and folks were skeptical about them -- some still remain skeptical today. We have to find a balance between skepticism and openness. Just don't be so open-minded that your brains fall out.
The promoters of free-energy devices must prove themselves ...
I'll be first in line to purchase new, clean-energy technologies that actually work. But I'll remain skeptical of all schemes and scams that aren't functioning products for sale, or at least ready to be tested in independent circumstances. Until then, these free-energy dreams are just more pie in the sky. And as HP publisher Richard Perez says, "We report only about pie on the plate..."
Posted 10 years ago # -
I'm not a Libertarian (or anything else) but Libertarians are generally more conscious of the surveillance state than most liberals, especially now that the public relations guy for the Empire is a Democrat.
I wasn't being totally serious. However, my personal experience is that Libertarians are working class white men yelling 'They took our jobs.' I've never met a broadly educated Libertarian. They are always missing historical or cultural knowledge that I believe reveals Libertarianism to be more a cultural affliction of our unhealthy system than any kind of serious political or social movement or even ideology.
It's a very easily and thoroughly subverted and misdirected social club for people who like hyperbole more than planning.
Posted 10 years ago # -
From time to time, I am asked by what criteria do I differentiate the (relatively few) worthwhile conspiracy theories from the many that are rubbish. My quick-n-dirty solution will strike many people as unfair, yet it works for me. I ask: "Did a libertarian come up with this theory?" If the answer is "yes," then the assertions are probably worthless.
I think I have a lot more tolerance for people on the left side of the spectrum who talk about chemtrails and the other "more out there" conspiracy theories. The libertarian conspiracy folks usually seem not only paranoid but also selfish and ignorant.
Posted 10 years ago #
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