My Cato Essays


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The irony is that the best should survive, not necessarily the fittest, who do because they are the fittest. Since they will, theirs is not a moral issue. The problem is getting the best into the fittest category and politically that is best done by living in a free society. Or, for the best it's a moral issue, for the fittest, sans the best, it isn't necessarily. It's just happenstance save in the case of evil--i.e., the destruction of European Jewry by the Nazis who de-fit them for survival in Germany dominated societies. To restate--"social Darwinism" is a moral lie for there is no morality involved. Whoever heard of the fittest not surviving because they were the fittest? And there are a lot of unfit survivors--of the stress of living. Generally theirs is a parasitic existence, which is not necessarily a denigration, but they cannot or will not create value for trade in excess of their consumption.

--Brant

oh, that was a damn good one, George

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Neoconservatism Versus Libertarianism, Part 2

"Smith gives a personal twist to his criticism of neoconservatism. He tells the story of how a disagreement with Roy Childs over the ideas of Irving Kristol resulted in a serious argument."

My Cato Essay #29 is now up.

Ghs

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Thomas Hodgskin: Libertarian Extraordinaire, Part 2

"Smith discusses Thomas Hodgskin's most controversial work, Labour Defended Against the Claims of Capital."

My Cato Essay #32 is now up.

Ghs

You come up with really good stuff.

Ba'al Chatzaf

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From Optimism to Pessimism: The Case of Herbert Spencer, Part 2

"Smith discusses the controversy about Spencer’s use of opium and its possible effect on his later pessimism."

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays this writer from the swift completion of his Cato Essays. In other words, my Cato Essay #38 is now up.

Ghs

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From Optimism to Pessimism: The Case of Herbert Spencer, Part 2

"Smith discusses the controversy about Spencer's use of opium and its possible effect on his later pessimism."

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays this writer from the swift completion of his Cato Essays. In other words, my Cato Essay #38 is now up.

Ghs

We all know you have an evil genius' brain in a jar in your basement that's dictating all your essays.

--Brant

at least give it some fish food

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From Optimism to Pessimism: The Case of Herbert Spencer, Part 3

"Smith discusses Spencer's opposition to the Boer War -- a cause that dominated the last several years of his life."

My Cato Essay #39 is now up.

Ghs

I wonder what would have happened if ("the odious," [Jeff R.]) Winston Churchill had been killed.

--Brant

that war never made the least sense to me; maybe after the read it will

edit: nice start

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From Optimism to Pessimism: The Case of Herbert Spencer, Part 6

"Smith discusses how Spencer applied his general principles to nineteenth-century Germany and France, and how his analyses contributed to his pessimistic outlook on the future of freedom."

My Cato Essay #42 is now up.

Ghs

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From Optimism to Pessimism: The Case of Herbert Spencer, Part 7

"Smith discusses Spencer fear that democracy will destroy freedom in the long run."

My Cato Essay #43 is now up. I go into considerable detail about Spencer's later opposition to women's suffrage.

Ghs

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