Jump to content
Objectivism Online Forum

Harry Binswanger on Gun Control

Rate this topic


CrowEpistemologist

Recommended Posts

That's pure rationalism. How do rights exist in reality here on Earth in a society with lots and lots of people without a government to protect them?

Every man by his nature has rights--the same rights. Nobody is arguing with that. Stop building straw men. Just because you are entitled to have rights does not magically make them happen to you 100% of the time every place on Earth. There's this thing called "crime", for starters. Governments are not made by God and thus are fallible and

It is the government's job to protect those rights. It is not always successful in doing so, no matter what. It is rational, therefore, that we has mortal men seek to minimize the violations of rights which occur, which may, paradoxically, mean occasionally, technically violating those rights in minute ways e.g. making people register their weapons, precluding them from own military weapons, and so forth.

Pretending that there's a special place in the clouds where there is no crime and rights are never violated is not compatible with Objectivism or logic.

Huh, we have to violate rights to protect rights?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The police. Minutes away when seconds count.

It is not the job of the government to protect peoples rights, but to retaliate after the rights are violated. The only protection is the psychological intimidation an effective justice system can evoke in the few who both plot their crimes and judge they can't get away with them. Deterrence is a 'soft' protection.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Crow, I'm really not going to discuss this further with you until you concede that a proper government doesn't try to protect some people's rights by violating other people's rights.

Edited by FeatherFall
spelling.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Crow, I'm really not going to discuss this further with you until you concede that a proper government doesn't try to protect some people's rights by violating other people's rights.

And I guess there's no point in discussing anything with somebody who believes in a magic government who can protect every citizen's rights 100% of the time, forever, in which there is no crime and no human beings possessing volition. (I guess a "perfect" government does not have courts either, right? Since there's no crime, why would there be courts?).

Pure. Rationalism.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...