This is a very informative site with many links and information on bloggers who have been or are jailed for speaking out against tyranny in their countries. Some very sad situations.
Is there a reason why we should NOT be trying to spread liberty around the world??
"Is there a reason we should NOT be trying to spread liberty around the world?"
ReplyDeleteWell, the most obvious response to this question is another question: who exactly is "we"? If you mean an aggregate abstraction of individuals who see it as their personal mission to proselytize the benefits of western-style representative republicanism to all corners of the globe using their own resources and without use of coersion or violence against others, then the answer is yes, why not?
If, on the other hand, you mean "we" as in the collective mindset that characterizes the modern nation-state, an entity that extorts resources from its citizens for purposes of which they do not approve and which are not that state's legitimate moral right, then the answer is no, "we" should not be exporting anything other than our best wishes and hope for these people in their quest to secure their own freedoms as they define them.
Secondly, if "liberty" means use of military force and oppression against sovereign nations and peoples all around the globe for no valid moral purpose other than the fulfillment of one's own megalomanicial definition of "freedom", than let us hope that "liberty" and "freedom" become concepts as despised and discredited as fascism and communism.
While one certainly feels the pain of those in far-flung lands who suffer at the hands of tyrants for freely expressing themselves, let it be left to those individuals who feel most strongly the need to assist these people in their quest for freedom to provide them with aid, comfort, and ammunition. To "spread liberty around the world" by any other means is akin to buying your children toys with money that you've robbed from a bank; while your intentions toward your children are honorable and the gifts you've given them are potentially beneficial to them, they are gifts you have given with resources that are not rightfully yours and that you have obtained through immoral means.
Unfortunately the anonymous poster left us no way contacting for further dialog. It appears that they have had a resounding indoctrination from the likes of "academia". If I can paraphrase what he/she was trying to say, and relate it to their "world" it would sound something like this -
ReplyDelete"From what I understand you are going to be raping my neighbor's wife after you cut his head off and kill his children. If you could just do that in private so I don't have to be a witness or get involved in any way I sure would appreciate it. Maybe you could gag them so I don't have to hear them scream. Just so you know, I'm a big proponent of individual rights so it's your business what you do in your private residence, I really don't want to infringe upon your privacy."
That would be just the begining of the conversation...