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Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site topaz.ARPA
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!columbia!topaz!josh
From: josh@topaz.ARPA (J Storrs Hall)
Newsgroups: net.politics.theory
Subject: Re: Libertarians in Space
Message-ID: <2178@topaz.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 3-Jun-85 03:23:41 EDT
Article-I.D.: topaz.2178
Posted: Mon Jun  3 03:23:41 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 4-Jun-85 00:37:19 EDT
References: <446@qantel.UUCP>
Reply-To: josh@topaz.UUCP (J Storrs Hall)
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
Lines: 31

In article <446@qantel.UUCP> gabor@qantel.UUCP (Gabor Fencsik@ex2642) writes:
>JoSH <JoSH@RUTGERS.ARPA>, in his Arpanet digest (V5 #23), discusses 
>space colonization as follows:
>>...  However, I'll be damned if I'll give it
>>to a political entity (read: any organization in which voting occurs).
>
>Why is it that political transactions are a BAD THING whereas market
>transactions are GOOD THINGS?

It's a shame you didn't quote (read?) the rest of the article. I believe
that markets work better than majoritarian rule in general; and in the
article in question I gave several specific reasons germane to the
particular endeavor in question, including the fact that there is
a considerable danger of "absolute power corrupting" when an organization
runs a machine (space colony) on which everyone's life depends.

> I can only speculate but my guess is that
>political transactions seem inherently impure, involving parliamentary
>nonsense, emotionalism, compromises and distasteful tradeoffs between
>logically unrelated demands of interest groups. Market transactions, on
>the other hand, are purely technical and are apparently amenable to
>cold analysis. ...
>Gabor Fencsik         {dual,nsc,hplabs,intelca,proper}!qantel!gabor   

Each is amenable to the same analysis, but people refuse to analyze
the political process in the same light they do the market.  I suggest
that you merely start with the same assumption:  that individuals
operating in a political system will all try to maximize their
self-interest.  Try it--I expect you'll be a libertarian by tomorrow.

--JoSH