Ever so often I’m reminded there is supposed to be a philosophical framework for the libertarian worldview.  A set of principles if you will,  that from time to time ought to be refreshed.  This occurred to me earlier this week, and I’ll share it with everyone here.  Maybe you’ll like it, maybe not but its might inspire some commentary and lets face it you’re probably going straight to the comments…

This is my review of Ommegang Three Philosophers Wine Barrel Quadruppel Ale.

This was prompted by this article here, by a guy in a bowtie and Bauhaus eyeglasses.  I only point these things out because in spite of my Chromexel shoes and well-fitted office attire—I can’t pull that off.  This whole thing is pretty good but the part I focused on was here:

The big picture is that before the age of liberalism, humanity slogged around for some 150,000 years without hope, improvement in living standards, or better or longer lives. Then freedom came. Hope was born. In your own life, you could manage to create improvement. You could live better. You could cause the world around you to adapt to new conditions. You could improve the lives of others. To be volitional meant something for the first time. You could travel. You could earn money and buy things. You could invest, and hope for a better life for your children. To have hope in this world, and not just the next, was the great gift of liberalism to the world.

We cannot and should not give this up. Anger, bitterness, resentment, and hate are just not good substitutes. On the contrary, they are corrosive of the heart and soul. I’ve had many discussions with people who are shaking off a statist phase. The number one thing they have told me: “I was consumed and blinded by anger. It caused me to lose sight of the beauty of liberty.” This leads me to believe that avoiding this cast of mind could provide some immunization against illiberal thought.

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Hi Hillary. Remember when I said I’d see you in court? I LIED

Formal alliances between libertarians and others have been the source of great mischief for decades. There is nothing wrong with cooperating with people from many sides of the political spectrum for the good of liberty. And there is not much point in regarding libertarians as some kind of hermetically sealed group, protected from outside influence. Formal alliances are another matter. These can tempt people to distort priorities, bury principles, and embrace insidious ideas, all in the interest of preserving the alliance.

This is a particular problem in the area of politics. You hate candidate A and don’t particularly like candidate B. But your loathing of A is so strong that you come to back, even passionately, candidate B. Once having backed B, you continue to confirm your bias by cheering everything he or she does following the election. This tendency can rot the brain and debase one’s principles to the point that you no longer remember what it is you actually believe.

There are reminders everywhere that we live in the best possible timeline.  Not just in the sense the crop of governments figures finally suit our disdain for the offices they hold, and do so in the most entertaining fashion possible.  It is in the very literal sense.  For example, I live in a desert, made possible by a series of dams throughout the state.  I am paid well working comfortably in a climate controlled office.  I’ve travelled quite a bit on my own dime, which is something my grandparents didn’t do at all.  One of my grandfathers was a carpenter, the other a shop teacher. One traveled to Korea and nowhere else, the other briefly went to college to play baseball but otherwise never left his hometown.

That is only one example.  Compare yourself to your grandparents, chances are your life is better and this isn’t just happening here, it’s everywhere.  Things are better without us noticing; people even write books pointing out this overlooked fact.  If we intend to convince others to accept a freer society is one where they should not expect the rest of society to come save them every time something scares them, perhaps one way is to show them is there is very little lurking out there to be saved from.

The other point is in proving to be the viable alternative.  Yes, it has been entertaining to say the least to watch certain politicians turn red and flail about like Connor McGregor when he’s being choked out.   Quite frankly, like Connor they deserved what they get, however libertarians allying themselves to the left or right because somebody at the time might prove suitable for getting back at another will come with strings attached.  Strings that will in theory violate libertarian principles.  It’s a destructive path we’ve discussed here before.  While it is true evil will relent only when faced with evil in kind, it is still evil–regardless of who at the time wields it, or the necessity of doing so.  Jefferson is often credited with saying, “In matters of style, swim with the fish.  In matters of principle, stand like a rock.”

Without principles, what are you supposed to be anyways?

 

This beer is interesting.  Instead of aging the beer in whiskey barrels which has a complimentary effect many are comfortable with, they instead age in repurposed wine barrels.  Belgian ales are highly complex and arguably wine-like as well so this does work.  In this case its a quadruppel, which is full bodied, complex, and fruity.  Now its even fruitier.  If you are not a fan of wine, you might go for this one, and vice versa.  I plan to buy it again soon.  Ommegang Three Philosophers Wine Barrel Quadruppel Ale:  4.0/5.