From: Walter Block <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, August 13, 2019 4:44 PM
To: R
Subject: RE: Ayn Rand and JFK
Dear R:
If you take a list of, oh, 500 laws, such as minimum wage, rent control, protective tariffs, socialized medicine, occupational licensure, legalizing gambling, drugs, prostitution, she would agree with libertarians on, oh, 95% of them. That makes her a libertarian in my view, despite her rejection of us as “hippies of the right.”
Suppose there were a guy who gazed through telescopes all day and night, and wrote about what he saw up there, and, yet, rejected the categorization “astronomer.” Would that mean he wasn’t an astronomer? Of course not. He could call himself a kangaroo, or refuse to be characterized in any manner, shape or form. Still, we social scientists would be justified in describing him as an astronomer. Suppose this guy HATED all (other!) astronomers. Would this detract from us still listing him as such. Of course not.
Ditto for Ayn Rand. Her positions on virtually all issues are very congruent with those of libertarians. She could call herself an Objectivist all she wanted to. Still, she is properly counted as a libertarian.
Chemistry consists of categorization (elements); biology too (genus, species, etc.); also geography (rivers, lakes, land, etc.) Why shouldn’t political economic philosophers also engage in this practice? And, if we do so, shouldn’t we do so accurately?
Yes, JFK had some libertarian tendencies, but not enough, in my humble opinion, to earn this honorific. Read this on the continuum problem:
Block, Walter E. and William Barnett II. 2008. “Continuums” Journal Etica e Politica / Ethics & Politics, Vol. 1, pp. 151-166, June; http://www2.units.it/~etica/; http://www2.units.it/~etica/2008_1/BLOCKBARNETT.pdf
From: R
Sent: Tuesday, August 13, 2019 2:39 PM
To: Walter Block
Subject: Ayn Rand and JFK
Walter,
Ayn Rand famously disavowed libertarians, with many conservatives liking her. So, she can’t be one of us, as she HATES libertarians! And we oppose many things conservatives believe in (drug war, big offensive-minded military and overseas bases), with many other basic civil liberties they disapprove of such as prostitution and freedom to use our body the way we want, subsidies to many big businesses: prime example is ethanol in gasoline forced by law instead of pure 100% gasoline, etc.
She also developed and promoted her own Objectivist philosophy, which in her case included condemning many draft dodgers as ‘bums’.
Is that libertarian to condemn those who wished NOT to be hurt or killed in some far-away, third-world country that never caused the U.S. any harm or threat?
“In metaphysics, Rand supported philosophical realism, and opposed anything she regarded as mysticism or supernaturalism, including all forms of religion.” [*] Does that sound libertarian to you? Of course not! So, she is NOT a libertarian with that repugnant opposition to any religion! I’m sure you would agree with me, she had her own philosophy which was not even 90% a libertarian, and she categorically and completely rejected our philosophy we want others to adopt, and created one of her very own.
So how can she be a libertarian in creating her own strange mix of philosophy and ideas in Objectivism?
If you can reject Jefferson for his one personal failing, then we can reject Ayn Rand for many reasons in her complete rejection of libertarianism, and promoting her ridiculous rejection of religion. There is no religion that doesn’t in its basic ideas, tell people how to live with others peacefully, such as no aggression against or threatening someone (or fraud) in criminal law, and keeping promises in civil law.
I’m not saying she doesn’t have SOME libertarian impulses, but she can’t be one for the reasons cited above.
Just as you say about Jefferson with only one objection that had nothing to do with what he promoted and believed in for almost all his life!
[*] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayn_Rand
As for JFK I think the quote below, shown to us by our fellow libertarian Jacob G. Hornberger, proves Kennedy *did* have a few libertarian bones in his body, contrary to your assertion! We just did not know it in his time–but thanks to Jacob, we do now!
You can still disagree with me on both of them for whatever reason, but I have given sound reasons why libertarians should not rank Ayn Rand as highly as many do, or reject JFK as many do as I had pointed out in his views on some key social policies, tax cuts, and a non-aggressive foreign policy.
4:31 pm on September 15, 2019
