Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site dciem.UUCP Path: utzoo!dciem!mmt From: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor) Newsgroups: net.politics.theory Subject: Re: NOT about Libertarianism. Message-ID: <1341@dciem.UUCP> Date: Wed, 30-Jan-85 17:48:39 EST Article-I.D.: dciem.1341 Posted: Wed Jan 30 17:48:39 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 30-Jan-85 18:54:11 EST References: <255@talcott.UUCP> Reply-To: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor) Distribution: net Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada Lines: 24 Summary: >> The problem with ideal societies is that they don't exist. > >AH, but this is net.politics.theory! Just as a physicist would >study the motion of point mass on a frictionless plane, here we should >study the activities of perfectly rational, completely self-interested >people in a world without I Love Lucy reruns. > >--JoSH Not in net.politics.theory, please. Net.economics.theory perhaps, but here we should deal with people AS THEY ARE. After all, (almost) all political theories would produce Utopia if the land were populated with ideal people (ideal == suited to the theory). Libertarians usually deal with ideal people: totally informed, completely rational about decisions, and capable of correct judgment about the results of their actions. (Sorry, I forgot. JoSH is a propertarian, not a libertarian. That must require a different set of ideals). -- Martin Taylor {allegra,linus,ihnp4,floyd,ubc-vision}!utzoo!dciem!mmt {uw-beaver,qucis,watmath}!utcsrgv!dciem!mmt