Daylight Atheism » Polity

Further Thoughts on Penn's Libertarianism

Ebonmuse — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 10:58:18 +0000

The last thread about Penn Jillette's book sparked some debate, so I'd like to revisit the topic. This is what Penn says is his view of the legitimate powers of government:

If I had a gun, and I knew a murder was happening... I would use that gun to stop that murder. I might be too much of a coward to use a gun myself to stop murder or rape or robbery, but I think that use of a gun is ... [visit site to read more]

Theocracy Causes Famine

Ebonmuse — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:55:43 +0000

Recently, I got an e-mail from the Foundation Beyond Belief, which is working with USAID to raise awareness of the continuing drought and famine in the Horn of Africa. The toll in lives is already appalling, including over 29,000 deaths from starvation and outbreaks of measles and cholera, and hundreds more dying every day. The crisis has ... [visit site to read more]

What Comes Next For the Middle East?

Ebonmuse — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:52:30 +0000

The last few weeks in the Middle East have been a story of extraordinary courage and heroism. With dictatorships in Egypt and Tunisia lying in ruins and the democratic revolt now spreading to Yemen, Bahrain and Libya, it's not too early to start thinking about what will come next.

The omnipresent fear in Western media is that the newly free countries will be taken over by an Islamist majority. This isn't an unreasonable concern (although it hardly justifies the West's decades of supporting ... [visit site to read more]

Wednesday Link Roundup

Ebonmuse — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 00:45:19 +0000

I may write more about some of these stories over the weekend, but in the meantime, I just had to make quick mention of them:

• Prominent evangelical pastor John MacArthur, whom Daylight Atheism readers have heard about before, has a visit site to read more]

Is America a Christian Nation?

Ebonmuse — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 15:48:08 +0000

A frequent refrain among the religious right is that the United States of America is a "Christian nation", or that this country was founded on Christian principles. However, I've never seen any religious apologist explain what exactly this is supposed to mean beyond making the mere statement. If this nation was founded on Christian principles, which principles are those? If Christianity played such a major role in our nation's founding, then what specific contributions did it make?

In an ... [visit site to read more]

Why I Am Not a Libertarian III

Ebonmuse — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 01:34:19 +0000

Opportunity and Obligation

One of the driving notions behind libertarian political theory is that society should be a meritocracy. By removing all restraints on competition, we will create a system where the hardest-working, most talented, most creative people succeed. And this is a good idea which I agree with. We need to encourage effort and innovation to create a healthy society; we should not punish motivation, nor reward laziness. We should give people an incentive to work and to ... [visit site to read more]

Why I Am Not a Libertarian II

Ebonmuse — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 12:53:32 +0000

Positive and Negative Liberty

The second major reason why I am not a libertarian has to do with the social safety net - programs like public education, universal health care, food stamps or unemployment pay - that are funded by redistributive taxation. Hard-core libertarians decry these programs as theft or even visit site to read more]

Why I Am Not a Libertarian

Ebonmuse — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 15:58:24 +0000

I: The Dilemma of the Commons

I don't usually post purely political essays on Daylight Atheism, as opposed to posts that touch on religion in some way. But the new series beginning with this post is personally important to me, and deserves an exception.

Though I only have anecdotal evidence, it's my experience that the majority of atheists hold a politically liberal view. The second largest group, a substantial minority, takes a libertarian stance. (Classic conservativism is a ... [visit site to read more]

Some Thoughts on Libertarianism

Ebonmuse — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 16:27:46 +0000

The Politics of Atheism posts back in April inspired a healthy debate with several regular commenters who advocate a libertarian political philosophy. One of the major claims of this philosophy, defended both on this blog and by prominent libertarians such as Timothy Sandefur, is that "taxation is theft" and that any taking of property from any individual, by the ... [visit site to read more]

The Politics of Atheism III

Ebonmuse — Tue, 25 Apr 2006 02:24:43 +0000

Business & the Market

In matters of economic organization, as in other areas, atheists should be guided by the evidence. One thing history has shown is that state-controlled economies simply do not work. The Soviet Union, the largest experiment in communism in human history, ultimately collapsed under the weight of its own failed economic structure, and most of the remaining communist countries are either in a state of economic tailspin themselves or are becoming increasingly ... [visit site to read more]

The Politics of Atheism II

Ebonmuse — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 18:29:59 +0000

Social Justice

As part of the compassion that we as atheists should have for all living beings, I advocate joining in efforts to end poverty. Wealth honestly earned is a powerful incentive for people to work hard and succeed, and it is not intrinsically unjust for different members of society to enjoy different levels of luxury. However, no one should lack the basic necessities of life - a place to live, food and clothing, education, health care, and work that pays a living wage - and ... [visit site to read more]

The Politics of Atheism I

Ebonmuse — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 16:46:07 +0000

A reader of Daylight Atheism recently made an excellent suggestion via e-mail:

As several of your recent posts suggest, it is perhaps time for atheists to unite into a force for change. And in America, that means political change. I welcome this prospect, but believe that we should have some agreement on what changes to make and what our common vision of America should be. I think a series of posts on the politics of Atheism would be helpful. Perhaps it should include the ... [visit site to read more]