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From: mangoe@umcp-cs.UUCP (Charley Wingate)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc
Subject: Re: When to steal food.
Message-ID: <3383@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 12-Sep-86 08:34:20 EDT
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.3383
Posted: Fri Sep 12 08:34:20 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 15-Sep-86 03:05:15 EDT
References: <362@vaxb.calgary.UUCP>
Organization: University of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Sci.
Lines: 26

Radford Neal writes:

>I'm a libertarian, and I'll admit the obvious fact that people, including
>me, will steal food to keep from starving to death. 

>Now, on to the serious question of when this is justified:

>     ** Almost never **

>Libertarianism generally is based on the view that this sort of situation
>is not typical of social interactions. Life very seldom comes down to
>a question of either I live or he lives. Nor is it usual for one person
>to own enough food to feed all but refuse to give or trade it to others.
>Theories of politics based on the assumption that this *is* the normal
>situation have little relevance to reality.

What follows indicates that this is not meant as a universal principle, but
rather is relevant to a particular society.  I would therefore ask, what
happens when you take away the governmental programs whose purpose is to
prevent starvation in this country?  THen will it be rare?

I'm pleased to see, by the way, that SOME libertarian or objectivist has
finally admitted that political principles must fit reality, rather than the
reverse...

C. Wingate