Thursday September 16th 2:00pm at Craigo's Pizza will be our first Junto back from break.
As is traditional with the first Junto back, we will be revisiting The Law by Frederic Bastiat which can be viewed here: http://www.fee.org/pdf/books/The_Law.pdf
The discussion will be lead by Ryan Kristjanson who will have some insights prepared for a great liberty power hour!
One main goal of this blog is to invite everyone to post discussion questions below as comments. By posting these questions everyone should get a feel for what direction the conversation will go, helping us to know what concepts we can dive deeper into and which ones to possibly stay away from.
See you all there!
What are your favorite quotes from Bastiat's The Law?
ReplyDeleteI encourage you to come with these quotes and ready to share the reasons why they are your favorites.
"The purpose of government, he says, is precisely to secure individuals in their rights to life, liberty, and property. Without such security men are reduced to a primitive life of fear and self-defense, with every neighbor a potential enemy ready to plunder what another has produced. If a government is strictly limited to protecting men's rights, then peace prevails, and men can go about working to improve their lives, associating with their neighbors in a division of labor and exchange." -xvi
ReplyDelete"But how is this legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime." Pg 17
"This must be said: There are too many "great" men in the world-legislators, organizers, do-gooders, leaders of the people, fathers of nations, and so on, and so on. Too many persons place themselves above mankind; they make a career of organizing it, patronizing it, and ruling it." pg 75
"Ah, you miserable creatures! you think you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! you who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That would be sufficient enough." pg 81
I am so excited to jump into Bastiat at Junto! The Law is so plain in describing how the do gooders, through government, bring about evil in their attempts to right "social injustices."
Liberty, Good reading, and all you can eat Pizza, does life get any better?
Questions
ReplyDelete“The law become the weapon of every kind of greed!” Is it possible for the law to be a weapon of greed if government is restrained exclusively to the role of protecting life, liberty, and property? Why do you think it is that Bastiat singles out this particular characterization of the law in the introduction of the first chapter?
What is the difference between just and unjust law? Characterize the difference as succinctly as possible.
Can government morally do anything the people ask it to do through a democratic process?
Is democracy synonymous with liberty?
What is the difference between false and true philanthropy?
What is legal plunder?
How is it true that “If the law were confined to its proper functions, everyone’s interest in the law would be the same. It is not clear that, under these circumstances, those who voted could not inconvenience those who did not vote?”
“Can the law—which necessarily requires force—rationally be used for anything except protecting the rights of everyone?” Is this criteria different for national, state, and local government?
Can the distinction of whether government can perform a particular function be determined entirely on whether it is appropriate to perform the function through force? Bastiat said, “We must remember that law is force, and that, consequently, the proper functions of the law cannot lawfully extend beyond the proper functions of force.” Similarly, George Washington said, “Government is not reason, it is not eloquence—it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master!”
Is Bastiat’s characterization of socialist writers correct (p. 33)? If so, what is it that make some men susceptible to this type of thinking and others less so.
Page 51, “What is Liberty?” Good definition?
Page 62, “The Superman Idea.” It has been suggested by some in our circle that as we as a people become wicked, we are less disserving of liberty. Is it possible to correct the evils of society by taking away liberty? (Note: I do not deny that wickedness leads to loss of liberty Ether 2:12. However, I do not agree with the idea that loss of liberty is somehow an anecdote for wickedness).