Rousseau had it backwards. We are NOT born free. We are born in the chains of the random and the reflexive, and are ignorant and unreasonable by simple nature. We must learn to be free, to organize the random and detect the reflexive, to acquire the knowledge of particulars and the powers of reason. The examined life is impossible if we cannot examine, order, classify, define, distinguish, always in minute particulars.
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Liberty is an opportunity for doing good, but this is only so when it is also an opportunity for doing read more
Liberty is an opportunity for doing good, but this is only so when it is also an opportunity for doing wrong.
The framers gave us the Second Amendment not so we could go deer or duck hunting but to give us read more
The framers gave us the Second Amendment not so we could go deer or duck hunting but to give us a modicum of protection against congressional tyranny.
The career of a politician mainly consists in making one part of the nation do what it does not want read more
The career of a politician mainly consists in making one part of the nation do what it does not want to do, in order to please and satisfy the other part of the nation. It is the prolonged sacrifice of the rights of some persons at the bidding and for the satisfaction of other persons. The ruling idea of the politician - stated rather bluntly - is that those who are opposed to him exist for the purpose of being made to serve his ends, if he can get power enough in his hands to force these ends upon them.
Bad politicians are sent to Washington by good people who don't vote.
Bad politicians are sent to Washington by good people who don't vote.
In war, the stronger overcomes the weaker. In business, the stronger imparts strength to the weaker.
In war, the stronger overcomes the weaker. In business, the stronger imparts strength to the weaker.
People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.
People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.
The greater the difficulty, the greater the glory.
The greater the difficulty, the greater the glory.
It is seldom that any liberty is lost all at once.
It is seldom that any liberty is lost all at once.
The celebration of unbounded individualism means, beyond some point, the acceptance of force- either private (crime, riot, vigilanteism) or public read more
The celebration of unbounded individualism means, beyond some point, the acceptance of force- either private (crime, riot, vigilanteism) or public (authoritarianism).
