Goering Was Right
Francois Tremblay
2007-08-09 16:00
Exclusive to STR
"Why, of course the people don't want war," Goering shrugged. "Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece. Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America , nor for that matter in Germany . That is understood. But,...
Why Most People Fail Morality 101
Francois Tremblay
2007-07-24 16:00
Exclusive to STR
I get a lot of flak, and get banned from message boards, for telling people that their moral intuitions are dead wrong (I admit that confronting people on this may not be the best strategy, but I'm not in it to make friends). The sad fact is that, just like in politics and religion, people have been indoctrinated to believe that their opinions about morality are just as valid, if...
An Open Letter to Cindy Sheehan
Francois Tremblay
2007-05-29 16:00
May 30, 2007
Dear Ms. Sheehan,
You have recently written an entry in your diary which, if you'll pardon me the metaphor, hands in your resignation to the anti-war movement. Even though I have not gone through the same experiences, I strongly sympathize with everything you say in it, and I think I may help clarify some things you might not yet be aware of.
Reject the 'Anarchist' Voters
Francois Tremblay
2007-05-22 16:00
Exclusive to STR
It is not a man's duty, as a matter of course, to devote himself to the eradication of any, even to most enormous, wrong; he may still properly have other concerns to engage him; but it is his duty, at least, to wash his hands of it, and, if he gives it no thought longer, not to give it practically his support. ~ Henry David Thoreau
I hardly want to be seen as a "divider,...
Democracy: Social Organization for Dummies
Francois Tremblay
2007-04-22 16:00
Exclusive to STR
April 23, 2007
How to organize a society:
1. Establish a ruling class.
2. Have that ruling class give you a list of choices for ruler.
3. Appoint the rich old white man who got the most check marks as your ruler.
4. Let him and his friends make up any laws they want.
5. Give them half your income and a significant amount of your freedom (all mandated by the laws they made...
The Disproof of Collectivist Obligation
Francois Tremblay
2007-04-11 16:00
April 12, 2007
The is-ought gap, an argument first proposed by David Hume, attempted to cast doubt on the possibility of morality. Hume himself did not believe that the argument disproved morality as a whole, but most have assumed that it does. His argument purported to establish an impassable chasm of justification between statements of facts and statements of morality; that no philosophy could...
The Orderly Anarchy of Nature, Dixit Dawkins
Francois Tremblay
2007-02-22 17:00
February 23, 2007
It is well known that nature has been the source of inspiration or outright supply of much of our human technology. There is very little avenue of discovery that has not already been trodden by other species, sometimes more efficiently, sometimes less. But I would like to submit that nature has more to teach us about politics than we might think; and here I am not alluding to...
Market Anarchy and Christianity Make for Bad Bunkmates
Francois Tremblay
2006-11-13 17:00
Exclusive to STR
November 14, 2006
I have been led to understand that a controversy has been brewing at Strike The Root on the issue of Anarchy and Christianity, or religion in general. Being a long time debater of morality, theology and religion, I would like to weigh in on this controversy.
Our Father, Who Art in City Hall...
Francois Tremblay
2006-04-04 16:00
Exclusive to STR
In discussions of law, I have started to notice more and more the use of the word "paternalism." I'm probably having a case of selective attention--once I noticed it once, I started noticing it everywhere. State paternalism turns people's brains into mush and, appropriately enough, turns them into little children who need to be told what is good and what is bad by the state. If...
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