Comments by "LancesArmorStriking" (@LancesArmorStriking) on "Why libertarianism is a marginal idea and not a universal value | Steven Pinker | Big Think" video.

  1. No, not completely. While most of the natives died out due to Spanish diseases, the US still put a depressingly large amount of effort into killing off the rest of the native population. The Trail of Tears comes to mind, but if you'd like more examples or a link, I'd be happy to follow up. Libertarianism is statistically improbable, to be extremely generous. The amount of people, say, using a road could never supply enough money to keep its entirety in proper shape, and the same goes for most public services. Of course, the higher the population, the more feasible that becomes, but portions of a good or service continually under partial construction or expansion become slow and self-depleting in the long-term. This becomes especially problematic in rural areas. By its very (individualist) nature, it is one of the least efficient forms of societal organization. Hence, it has never naturally come to fruition, and never will. Also, given the human tendency for self-interest, why would you entrust your roads, electricity, or anything else to a corporation? They're prone to monopolization, and unlike a politician, you can't vote them out of their job (and importantly, income). Where do you get such a strong trust for for-profit entities?
    3
  2. Those membership fees you love to put in quotes so much, aren't motivated by greed, you know. Even if they do lead to "extortion" (which is more common in the private sector, by the way), taxes are a necessity of living in a country, because pay-to-play models simply aren't efficient enough for anything substantial to function. In addition, monopolization (which just so happens to coincide with a decline in service quality) is a pervasive problem among companies. American electricity companies and lightbulb manufacturers in particular (see: Phoebus Cartel) have bad reputations. While you can vote with your wallet with companies, it becomes useless when you need that service (hiked prices for Epipens, Martin Shkreli, government had to step in) or when no one can compete with you (Andrew Carnegie, JP Morgan). Politicians can be even more greedy and corrupt, but (reminder) they're lobbied by private interests, and at least Senators can be directly kicked out of office by their constituents. The State is a luxury whose services you're so used to, you don't even notice or appreciate them.
    1
  3. Sorry to butt in again, but that's ridiculous. It's an outright lie. You think that the natural state of humanity is the nuclear household? I guess that's expected from a Libertarian. Contrary to your outlandish beliefs, humans are pack animals (ever wonder why we're such social creatures?), and relied on groups to survive, prioritizing their collective survival over individual interests for thousands of years before they had the luxury of a state to allow them enough time to delude themselves and mythologize their own history. I'll also take a crack at your books, but they don't exactly look dry enough to be impartial, so I (and suggest you should) tread with caution.
    1