Breaking Free from Political Polarization with Classical Liberalism

This is 70 minutes long, but if you have the time, it is well worth the watching. Excellent discussion of the minarchist(Night Watchman State)/libertarian/classical liberal viewpoint versus progressivism and conservatism.

"We are polarized between two political tribes, perhaps like never before: left vs right, liberal vs conservative, democrat vs republican. In ongoing culture wars, progressives are ascendant and conservatives fight to recover lost ground. But do these opposing camps have more in common than they care to admit? And is there a political philosophy that sees the world through a completely different lens?

To help us answer these questions, we're joined by Bruce Pardy, a professor of law and executive director of Rights Probe, a law and liberty think tank. He is a classically liberal legal academic who believes in equal treatment under the law, negative rights, private property, limited government, and the separation of powers, which are foundational to the Western legal tradition. He is a critic of legal progressivism, social justice, and the discretionary managerial state, and has written extensively on a range of pressing legal subjects that are at the forefront of the culture war inside the law."

 

I am glad that you used the word "tend". I am not socially progressive on cultural issues; however, I don't want to the government to force others to abide by my socially conservative views.

On abortion it should be a state issue. I oppose any effort by progressives to legalize abortions by the federal government, and I oppose any effort by conservatives to ban abortions by the federal government. There is no warrant in the U.S. Constitution for federal government involvement in abortion, nor in the vast majority of issues that it is currently involved in.

Generally speaking, across all levels of government, I go along with what Frank Meyer wrote:

"The state therefore has two natural functions, functions essential to the existence of any peaceful, ordered society: to protect the rights of citizens against violent or fraudulent assault, and to judge in conflicts of right with right. It has a further third function, which is another aspect of the first, that is, to protect its citizens from assault by foreign powers. These three functions are expressed by three powers: the police power, which protects the citizen against domestic violence; the military power, which protects the citizen against violence from abroad; and the courts of law, which judge between rights and rights, as well as sharing with the police power the protection of the citizen against domestic violence.
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But since this institution must possess a monopoly of legal physical force, to give to it in addition any further power is fraught with danger; that monopoly gives to the state so much power that its natural functions should be its maximum functions.

- Frank S. Meyer, In Defense of Freedom: A Conservative Credo, published in 1962

 

The Ten Commandments were given as part of the Law of Moses, which ended on the day of Pentecost after the resurrection of Christ. Also, as far as I know, all societies have laws against murder, even heathen ones.

In addition, I think you would understand that "socially conservative views" would be my opposition to things such as shacking up, fornication, etc., plus rooting for the New York Yankees.

(Just kidding about rooting for the Yankees...I think )

 

No. That is not a minarchist position.

No. That is not a minarchist position.

 

I had a libertarian friend(he died a few years ago) but he hosted a morning call-in show on a local radio station for a number of years, and, as he would put, standing up for liberty means allowing other people the liberty to do things that might turn your stomach.

I would say if someone wanted to do a religious ceremony of some kind with an animal like a cow or chicken or some other animal that humans commonly eat, before they butcher it to eat it, I don't think they should be interfered with.

 

If you expect someone like myself, a worm of a man, to be consistent, then I am sorry, I am not going to be consistent.

 

I have no idea. I am hoping that the following happens really, really, really soon - like maybe today!

2 Peter 3:10-13 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness

 

Personally, I am looking forward to the day when Christ returns and things like the U.S. Constitution won't matter at all as this heavens and earth will be replaced by the new heavens and earth wherein dwells righteousness.