tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post333093090215401175..comments2024-03-22T17:43:18.211-07:00Comments on bionic mosquito: The Search for Liberty; Chapter Seventeen: Ergo Summatimbionic mosquitohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002548958078731031noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-32014012544256163362019-09-02T20:35:25.301-07:002019-09-02T20:35:25.301-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.rochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10010242984451290011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-29184806042175936062019-08-08T05:51:10.574-07:002019-08-08T05:51:10.574-07:00Jesus is the pattern. The Christ is the power.Jesus is the pattern. The Christ is the power.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-56892500722116063132019-08-06T13:25:04.578-07:002019-08-06T13:25:04.578-07:00Thank you, ATL. You are correct to note that wher...Thank you, ATL. You are correct to note that where I was headed was pretty clear - certainly to regular readers here. I just felt it helpful to draw one string through it all.bionic mosquitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12002548958078731031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-89841553621456352572019-08-06T10:28:56.576-07:002019-08-06T10:28:56.576-07:00By the way, I love the book. I think there are som...By the way, I love the book. I think there are some extremely valuable insights in here, especially those that tie Plato and Aristotle to Jesus. You've even shown Aristotle to be somewhat of a prophet of Jesus (since Jesus was his necessary physical representation of the ultimate form of the good).<br /><br />Of course the main point you're making, that you need more than just the libertarian aspects of natural law to achieve a social order of liberty - you the need the rest of it as well, is fantastic too and so much needed in the libertarian world. But I think we all already knew you were going there. =)<br /><br />I'm very much looking forward to your appendix on the life and works of Jesus. Peter Kreeft has a book called "the Philosophy of Jesus". I think this might be worth a read. I've read his "Philosophy of Tolkien" and it was fantastic, so I'm sure he's done a good job on his book concerning the philosophy of his and our Lord and Savior.A Texas Libertarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02980539931923054404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-85447084656221865852019-08-05T15:15:52.617-07:002019-08-05T15:15:52.617-07:00"...both paths encroach on liberty while clai..."...both paths encroach on liberty while claiming to save liberty..." - BM<br /><br />It does seem there is only one path that leads to truth and happiness (in St. Thomas's sense) and all others lead to error and pain. Maybe central to the attainment of liberty is not only the Golden Rule, but also the 'golden mean', which is from Aristotle as well, though I don't think he used that term. The idea that correct and virtuous action is not to be found in the extremes of human passions and capacities but in the perfect balance of them.<br /><br />For instance, courage is bounded on both extremes by reckless stupidity and pathetic cowardice. One extreme has a profound lack of regard for one's own life and the other has an excess of it. The golden mean is described by one who has a balanced (but not necessarily a 'midway') regard for his own life - one that when the circumstances are called for, may risk his life for a noble purpose, but will not risk it for ignoble purposes such as fame, fortune, or mental instability (not sure which of these three modern 'adrenaline junkies' suffer from - a bit of all three I bet).<br /><br />Charity likewise is the balance between having no love for others, or narcissism, and too much love for others and not enough for one's self. Because if you don't love yourself, then Jesus' second greatest commandment to 'love your neighbor as yourself' is meaningless. Are you following Jesus' will if you treat your neighbor like garbage, because this is how you treat yourself? I don't think the Golden Rule works this way. The bible also cautions against irresponsible giving - or giving to the extent that one becomes destitute and in need of the gifts of others.<br /><br />Similarly, libertarianism is bounded by the extremes of no regard for any authority and the worship of any and all authority. To the libertarian, any authority must be just.<br /><br />As a side note, I recently became enamored by the word 'polycentrism' and favored it even more so than 'decentralization' and 'subsidiarity' as it relates the anti-monopoly tenet of libertarianism, the fundamental strategy of attaining liberty, and the general appearance of a realistic order of liberty. I was enamored - that is until I did a quick history search of the word and discovered it was first used in the political sense by communists to describe their 'soviet' system of confederated communities. Not wanting to completely give up the word, I chose the word 'polycentricity' instead. This fits well with my conservative dislike for all or most 'isms' as well as my conviction that true liberty will have 'many centers' of authority.<br /><br />That got me thinking that maybe I should refer to libertarianism as instead 'libertarianicity' or 'libertaricity' - 'liberticity'?. Okay maybe all these are not very catchy, but you get the point. Maybe as liberty minded folks we should heed the good judgement of conservative thinkers of the past like Russell Kirk who have always seen 'isms' as questionable impositions on the nature of things by men who fancy themselves as the grand designers of mankind.<br /><br />After all, it's called Christianity, not 'Christianism'.A Texas Libertarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02980539931923054404noreply@blogger.com