My Cato Essays

[George H. Smith]

http://www.libertari...ligious-freedom

The first in my series of Cato essays -- "Excursions Into the History of Libertarian Thought" -- is now up and available for reading and comments. A new essay will be posted each week. The first is titled "Religious Freedom Versus Religious Toleration."

This is a new Cato website, one specifically devoted to libertarian ideas and history. I just got this link, and I cannot say whether the entire site has been completed. Parts may still be under construction. I haven't had time yet to look through it.

Ghs

[George H. Smith]

I just learned that the Cato website has not been officially launched yet. That won't happen until Nov. 1, or thereabouts, so there is probably a lot more left to do. For one thing, there will be an "Excursions" homepage that hasn't appeared yet.

I'm not even sure whether posting comments is possible at this stage. I suggest people hold off until the site is officially up and running.

Ghs

[9thdoctor]

The piece sure looks good, though the site looks pretty blah. The background made me think of the phrase "whiter than white". I gather that's going to be changed.

Any idea what's happened to JR's Libertarian Tradition? A sabbatical?

Will you be taking requests for topics?

[George H. Smith]

The piece sure looks good, though the site looks pretty blah. The background made me think of the phrase "whiter than white". I gather that's going to be changed.

Any idea what's happened to JR's Libertarian Tradition? A sabbatical?

Will you be taking requests for topics?

I have nothing to do with the design of the site, so I don't know what the final page will look like. Nor do I especially care, so long as the essays are easy to read, which they are.

I have already finished eight essays, and ten will be completed by Nov. 1. This backlog will help insure that I will be able to post one new essay each week. Otherwise, the writing schedule would be difficult to maintain.

The next few will deal with the Declaration of Independence, shortly after which I will run a series on the history of state education and libertarian opposition to state schooling. All essays will be similarly historical in nature and will be capsule treatments of key ideas and controversies. If you have some suggestions in this area, I would be happy to hear them, but I pretty much know the topics I will be treating during the next six months, at least.

I don't know what happened to JR's blog. I heard through the grapevine that the Mises Institute needed to retrench financially, so this may have something to do with it.

Ghs

[George H. Smith]

The new Cato website is now officially up. I just received this notice from the webmaster:

George-

We flipped the switch and Libertarianism.org<http://Libertarianism.org> is now open to the public.

If you want to pass around links, here's the Excursions home page:

http://www.libertari...says/excursions

and your first essay:

http://www.libertari...ligious-freedom

Ghs

[George H. Smith]

http://www.libertari...on-independence

My second Cato essay is now up: "That Audacious Document: Notes on the Declaration of Independence."

You will see that I quoted some passages that I quoted earlier on OL. I have been using OL as a kind of test run.

Ghs

[PDS]

Ghs: thanks for the reference. Is the Boswell quoted Johnson's Boswell? I assume so, and shouldn't be so lazy as to ask.

[George H. Smith]

My Cato Essay #3 is now up:

Was Thomas Jefferson a Plagiarist?

http://www.libertarianism.org/publications/essays/was-thomas-jefferson-plagiarist

Ghs

[George H. Smith]

Some comments about Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine that I posted on my Facebook Wall.

https://www.facebook...1973487&sk=wall

Ghs

[9thdoctor]

Was Thomas Jefferson a Plagiarist?

So “the pursuit of Happiness” didn’t originate with Jeremiah Dixon? Damn historical novels, you never know if they’re accurate!

[T]here proves no-place quite as congenial to the unmediated newness of History a-transpiring, as Raleigh’s Tavern. Virginians young and old are standing to toast the King’s Confoundment. When it’s his own turn to, Dixon chooses rather to honor what has ever imported him-raising his ale-can, “To the pursuit of Happiness.”

“Hey, Sir,-that is excellent!” exclaims a tall red-headed youth at the next table. “And ain’t it oh so true…. You don’t mind if I use the Phrase sometime?”

“Pray thee, Sir.”

Thomas Pynchon,

Mason & Dixon

, Chapter 39

[George H. Smith]

Cato Essay #4 is now up.

http://www.libertari...pendence-part-1

The Philosophy of the Declaration of Independence: Part 1

Ghs

[Brant Gaede]

They should teach this stuff in high school if not junior high school. They don't even teach it in college.

It would seem the basic social contract is liberty expressed in political freedom and freedom is the problem for it's in the hands of blackguards because of an ignorant and uncaring citizenry.

--Brant

[Brant Gaede]

In response to English tyranny, such as it was, many Americans wanted liberty and freedom in a most radical, Jeffersonian way. Then the fire was banked, occasionally erupting in such things as the abolitionist movement, Civil War draft riots and Vietnam-era war protests, which also had basically to do with the military draft. Today, because of oppression and technology and economics that cannot be financed any longer, states around the world are under siege. Out of the ashes of statism political philosophy needs to play a vital role and that philosophy needs to be libertarian, not Objectivist, but the libertarians better know what they are talking about--the same way Jefferson et al. knew what they were talking about. Into and out that viable context Objectivism has a chance to develop and flourish but Objectivists will need to know much more about human being than Ayn Rand ever did or could. Since the first two basic principles of Objectivism are shared without dispute or conflict with science and the fourth with libertarianism properly understood, it's all about the ethics for Objectivism.

--Brant

[George H. Smith]

They should teach this stuff in high school if not junior high school. They don't even teach it in college....

--Brant

I agree, of course. Evem many O'ists don't fully appreciate how truly radical the philosophy of the Declaration was.

Btw, if you get a chance and have no objections, I would appreciate it if you would post your comment on the Cato page. It might spur additional discussion, and the more interest shown in my essays, the better for me. This goes for other OLers as well.

Ghs

P.S. And don't forget the "like" button. The powers-that-be pay attention to this sort of thing.

[Brant Gaede]

The "like" button doesn't work. Something about my quota being used up. I've never used the button before.

--Brant

edit: the "like" button on the linked site works just fine

edit 2: my comment ended up on Facebook--I don't know how to comment on CATO; it gives choices like Yahoo, Facebook, AOL

[9thdoctor]

I tried to "like" it too. No luck, since I'm not on Facebook, it makes me think of the Borg, and I will not be assimilated; I resist, be it futile or not.

[Jonathan]

[Brant Gaede]

In response to English tyranny, such as it was, many Americans wanted liberty and freedom in a most radical, Jeffersonian way. Then the fire was banked, occasionally erupting in such things as the abolitionist movement, Civil War draft riots and Vietnam-era war protests, which also had basically to do with the military draft. Today, because of oppression and technology and economics that cannot be financed any longer, states around the world are under siege. Out of the ashes of statism political philosophy needs to play a vital role and that philosophy needs to be libertarian, not Objectivist, but the libertarians better know what they are talking about--the same way Jefferson et al. knew what they were talking about. Into and out that viable context Objectivism has a chance to develop and flourish but Objectivists will need to know much more about human being than Ayn Rand ever did or could. Since the first two basic principles of Objectivism are shared without dispute or conflict with science and the fourth with libertarianism properly understood, it's all about the ethics for Objectivism.

--Brant

(con't--a little computer trouble interferred with my brilliance this morning)

Now there is the God problem with its intrinsic irrationality and faith. One way to undermine the God business generally is to simply be a pantheist. God is reality and reality is god. He is in and of everything and everybody. Not to be worshipped but greatly to be respected. He is not an old white man with a beard in the sky but he is the sky, the mountain and you and I, embedded with the responsibility of consciousness and rationality knowing one way to be rational is to rationally use the irrational, etc.

--Brant

I guess I'm going to have to start a church--"Respect God" or "God All" or "The Collage of God" (looking for a tax advantage also): one will go there to study--reality--reality this and reality that--and get a degree in a specialty

[9thdoctor]

One way to undermine the God business generally is to simply be a pantheist.

Sounds good, let's start a church.

God is reality and reality is god. He is in and of everything and everybody. Not to be worshipped but greatly to be respected. He is not an old white man with a beard in the sky but he is the sky, the mountain and you and I, embedded with the responsibility of consciousness and rationality knowing one way to be rational is to rationally use the irrational, etc.

Ugh, this is chock full of heresies! You're not going to get away with mere excommunication:

[George H. Smith]

I tried to "like" it too. No luck, since I'm not on Facebook, it makes me think of the Borg, and I will not be assimilated; I resist, be it futile or not.

Yeah, it's linked to Facebook. My comments on the Cato page (assuming they are not responses to someone else) automatically show up on my FB Wall. That's why I started using FB a few weeks ago. That's how I got assimilated. But now that I am part of the Collective, it's pretty interesting. I'm finding old friends that I lost track of decades ago.

Ghs

[PDS]

I tried to "like" it too. No luck, since I'm not on Facebook, it makes me think of the Borg, and I will not be assimilated; I resist, be it futile or not.

Yeah, it's linked to Facebook. My comments on the Cato page (assuming they are not responses to someone else) automatically show up on my FB Wall. That's why I started using FB a few weeks ago. That's how I got assimilated. But now that I am part of the Collective, it's pretty interesting. I'm finding old friends that I lost track of decades ago.

Ghs

Ghs:

It is with extreme sadness that I herein read that you have joined FB.

As a fellow member of that exclusive club know as "INTJ" (other famous INTJs include Rand, Jung, Abraham Lincoln and (possibly) a certain Mr. P. Coates, I hasten to add), your willingness to join FB causes me great distress, and makes me wonder whether you a closet extrovert. Please reconsider this decision.

[Brant Gaede]

I tried to "like" it too. No luck, since I'm not on Facebook, it makes me think of the Borg, and I will not be assimilated; I resist, be it futile or not.

Yeah, it's linked to Facebook. My comments on the Cato page (assuming they are not responses to someone else) automatically show up on my FB Wall. That's why I started using FB a few weeks ago. That's how I got assimilated. But now that I am part of the Collective, it's pretty interesting. I'm finding old friends that I lost track of decades ago.

Ghs

Ghs:

It is with extreme sadness that I herein read that you have joined FB.

As a fellow member of that exclusive club know as "INTJ" (other famous INTJs include Rand, Jung, Abraham Lincoln and (possibly) a certain Mr. P. Coates, I hasten to add), your willingness to join FB causes me great distress, and makes me wonder whether you a closet extrovert. Please reconsider this decision.

A "closet extrovert?": contradiction! contradiction!--bing! bing! bing!

--Brant

[George H. Smith]

http://www.libertarianism.org/publications/essays/philosophy-declaration-independence-part-2

Cato Essay #5 is now up.

The Philosophy of the Declaration of Independence: Part 2

"In this part of his series about the Declaration of Independence, George H. Smith turns to two instances of curious wording: the use of “self-evident” and the lack of “property” in Jefferson’s list of inalienable rights."

Ghs

[George H. Smith]

I tried to "like" it too. No luck, since I'm not on Facebook, it makes me think of the Borg, and I will not be assimilated; I resist, be it futile or not.

Yeah, it's linked to Facebook. My comments on the Cato page (assuming they are not responses to someone else) automatically show up on my FB Wall. That's why I started using FB a few weeks ago. That's how I got assimilated. But now that I am part of the Collective, it's pretty interesting. I'm finding old friends that I lost track of decades ago. Ghs

Ghs: It is with extreme sadness that I herein read that you have joined FB. As a fellow member of that exclusive club know as "INTJ" (other famous INTJs include Rand, Jung, Abraham Lincoln and (possibly) a certain Mr. P. Coates, I hasten to add), your willingness to join FB causes me great distress, and makes me wonder whether you a closet extrovert. Please reconsider this decision.

I didn't exactly join FB. It would be more accurate to say I was drafted, since I couldn't even respond to comments on my Cato page without a Facebook account. Nor could I give my own essays a "thumbs up." 8-)

OLers should give thanks, for if I now wish to post a jazz video, I put in on my FB Wall, not on OL -- and two or three people actually listen to them. 8-)

Ghs

[George H. Smith]

http://www.libertarianism.org/publications/essays/excursions/americans-attitudes-smuggling-colonial-america

"Americans with Attitudes: Smuggling in Colonial America"

My Cato Essay #6 is now up.

Ghs