# 1999/5/23

#===========================#
# individualism and liberty #
#===========================#
# Reference:
# Nathaniel Branden, "Honoring The Self"

# comment:
# Richard S. Latimer 1999/3/12
# A favorite quote from Nathaniel Branden. It is
# a brilliant summary of the relationships among the
# personal choices between individualism/collectivism,
# justice/injustice, and coercion/persuasion.  It is
# also a profound commentary on popular contemporary
# views within Pre- & Anti-Enlightenment subcultures.
# A good encapsulation of many principles that I contend
# are objectively determined and worthy of upholding
# and defending against those who would seek to violate
# the rights of individuals.


# "Individualism is at once an ethical-psychological concept and an
#    ethical-political concept.
#  As an ethical-psychological concept, individualism holds that a
#    human being should think and judge independently, respecting
#    nothing more than the sovereignty of his or her mind.
#  As an ethical-political concept, individualism upholds the
#    supremacy of individual rights, the principle that a human being
#    is an end in him- or herself, and that the proper goal of life is
#    self-realization."  . . .
# 
# "It is also the single most avoided issue in discussions of social
#    philosophy.  I shall be blunt here, because there is a tendency
#    in this arena to dance around the obvious, to discuss everything
#    but the self-evident.  It is at the mind that every gun is aimed.
#  Every use of force is the attempt to compel a person to act against
#    his or her judgment;  if the person were willing to take the
#    action, force would not be required."
# 
# "Without property rights, no other rights are possible.
#  We must be free to use that which we have produced, or we do not
#    possess the right to liberty.
#  We must be free to make the products of our work serve our chosen
#    goals or we do not possess the right to the pursuit of
#    happiness."

# NOTE: The KR translation was simplified by
# using AND,OR,OF instead of and,or,of.
# (and,or,of have special meaning in KR.)

#===============#
# individualism #
#===============#
#at view = ethical-psychological {
#    individualism do hold (
	a human being do should think AND judge independently with
	respecting nothing more than the sovereignty OF his OR her mind #;
#    )
#}
#at view = ethical-political {
#   individualism do uphold (
	individual rights has supremacy #;
	a human being has an end = himself OR herself #;
	a human being has the proper goal OF life = self-realization #;
#   )
#}
 
#=========#
# liberty #
#=========#
#at view = discussions OF social philosophy {
	# I shall be blunt here, because there is a tendency
	# in this arena to dance around the obvious,
	# to discuss everything but the self-evident.
    every gun do aim at od the mind done #;
    every use OF force is
	the attempt to compel a person to act against his OR her judgment #;
    if the person has willing to take the action then
	force has not required fi #;

 
    if we has not property rights then
	no other rights has possible fi #;
    either we has free to use that which we have produced or
	we do not possess (the right to liberty) #;
    either we has free to make the products OF our work serve our chosen goals or
	we do not possess (the right to the pursuit OF happiness) #;
#}