Dennis Hackethal’s Blog
My blog about philosophy, coding, and anything else that interests me.
Tweets
An archive of my tweets and retweets through . They may be formatted slightly differently than on Twitter. API access has since gotten prohibitively expensive – I don't know whether or when I'll be able to update this archive.
But in case I will, you can subscribe via RSS – without a Twitter account. Rationale
@DorfGinger @IamtheWay13 @ToKTeacher @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
‘Taxation is theft’ is a terrible argument because its functionally equivalent to ‘the position im persuaded of is correct’
no it isn't, at least no more than fallibly. do 'rape is violence'
@IamtheWay13 @ToKTeacher @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
to use a different, imo simpler example, if everyone's balance in their bank account doubled over night, ~nothing would change in terms of purchasing power
we're in agreement on that
yet we're not in agreement on the effect of taxes on purchasing power
@IamtheWay13 @ToKTeacher @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
the government does also spend money less effectively, no doubt
but you're not engaging with the arguments i've made. i've said more than that
@ToKTeacher @IamtheWay13 @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
nobody is speaking of utopia
i don't know what repeating boi 101s you know i know adds to the conversation
lying about political coercion prevents "striving imperfectly to meet partially understood ideals"
@IamtheWay13 @ToKTeacher @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
but would have been able to afford if the govt didn't force everyone to spend money in ways they wouldn't normally.
it leads to all kinds of distortions and fuckups
@IamtheWay13 @ToKTeacher @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
even if other goods are equally cheaper, it still means i may not be able to afford those pricier goods
@IamtheWay13 @ToKTeacher @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
but that's the thing, not all of society makes 15% less because of taxes. some make a lot less, some aren't affected at all
there's also what i've said about money flowing in ways it otherwise wouldn't, so some goods and services will be pricier than they otherwise would be
@IamtheWay13 @ToKTeacher @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
btw the wealthy pay the vast, vast majority of taxes, not just "a few percent more". that's a misleading statement because "a few percent" of a much larger amount is a lot
@IamtheWay13 @ToKTeacher @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
that's a misquote
regardless, how is it wrong?
@IamtheWay13 @ToKTeacher @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
that's not to mention that looking at whether and how much everyone else is taxed reveals you still have the collectivist bug
if you cared about individual property rights, you'd consider a single instance of theft from a single individual an injustice, no matter the amount
@IamtheWay13 @ToKTeacher @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
why do you keep laughing at my tweets?
@IamtheWay13 @ToKTeacher @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
also, due to taxes, money is flowing in ways it otherwise wouldn't (or else no coercion would be necessary in the first place), so lots of people are worse off
example: i'd like to buy product x, and i could if i weren't taxed, but i can't because i am
@IamtheWay13 @ToKTeacher @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
Taxation is not measurably impacting your quality of life.
Assuming this is about: twitter.com/IamtheWay13/st…
I had already refuted that here: twitter.com/dchackethal/st…
@ToKTeacher @IamtheWay13 @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
i don't think betraying the victims of the state by refusing to speak the truth about what happens to them, as coulter refuses to, meets either of those criteria
it fact, it's counter to the spirit of the second one
@IamtheWay13 @ToKTeacher @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
have you read the article i sent
@IamtheWay13 @ToKTeacher @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
arguments against thieves are not ethical attacks
they're defenses
@IamtheWay13 @ToKTeacher @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
again, additional ethical considerations may persuade some people more than focusing on coercion alone
problems are soluble. find a way to persuade without accommodating evil. you don't need to compromise
@IamtheWay13 @ToKTeacher @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
i'll also add that it's generally a lot harder to gauge how people will react than one might think. you can't induce that from past experience
you seem much more concerned with what people think about the claim 'taxation is theft' than what the truth of the matter is
@IamtheWay13 @ToKTeacher @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
This tweet of yours implies you see some value in going beyond that: twitter.com/IamtheWay13/st…
@IamtheWay13 @ToKTeacher @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
~everyone is psychologically innocent, recognizing this fact doesn't really help us along
if you refuse to speak of evil as evil, you're accommodating it. don't compromise with evil:
courses.aynrand.org/works/how-does…
@IamtheWay13 @ToKTeacher @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
and today we realize how disgustingly wrong apologists were back then, do we not?
@IamtheWay13 @ToKTeacher @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
adding additional ethical considerations on top of the concept of coercion doesn't mean you're insulting or accusing
@IamtheWay13 @ToKTeacher @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
Taxation is coercion and that's ALL we need to establish what's wrong with it.
Plenty of pessimists cannot imagine a world without coercion, think it's necessary or even good. Adding the ethical considerations may well help convince them they're wrong.
@IamtheWay13 @ToKTeacher @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
Imagine someone arguing about slavery the way you argue about taxation. 'Let's just call it coercion, anything else is too ethically loaded' – bonkers
@IamtheWay13 @ToKTeacher @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
We don't need the ethical implications carried by words like theft and stealing. It adds nothing more qualitative to the discussion.
These are the words of a violence apologist. If taxation actually bothered you, you'd criticize it with full force.
@IamtheWay13 @ToKTeacher @MagnetThatcher @DavidDeutschOxf
But theft and stealing smuggle in clear colloquial notions of being overtly and intentionally unethical.
And coercion alone does not?
@IamtheWay13 @MagnetThatcher @ToKTeacher @DavidDeutschOxf
yes. again, we agree that we don't need the word 'theft'. what i'm not sure is whether you agree that theft – or whatever we wish to call it – is disgusting
can you please answer what the cultural baggage is
@IamtheWay13 @MagnetThatcher @ToKTeacher @DavidDeutschOxf
my position does not depend on the word 'theft'
@IamtheWay13 @MagnetThatcher @ToKTeacher @DavidDeutschOxf
the position that taxation is theft isn't about words.
it's just about the fact that property shouldn't be stolen, by the government or anyone else. use whatever words you like.
what's the "cultural baggage" btw?
@IamtheWay13 @MagnetThatcher @ToKTeacher @DavidDeutschOxf
we already agree with the popperian notion that definitions aren't all that
what i mean is that if the law referred to the "illegal taking of another's money" it would be circular, and so no, to answer your question, i would not happily agree that taxation isn't theft
@IamtheWay13 @MagnetThatcher @ToKTeacher @DavidDeutschOxf
referred to by the law
codified by law
look-uppable in texts that are law
@IamtheWay13 @MagnetThatcher @ToKTeacher @DavidDeutschOxf
by "definition" you mean legal definition?
Sleepwalkers' behavior is often nonsensical. Like the guy pouring milk into the sink instead of the bowl he just fetched. If he were conscious, he wouldn't do that, would he? (All else being equal, eg he's not mentally ill)
How can we distinguish between that and the claim “They form no memories of their experiences while sleepwalking”?
I wondered that too. My tentative answer is:
@IamtheWay13 @MagnetThatcher @ToKTeacher @DavidDeutschOxf
it's not that it's a definition
it's that the law carries some weight here
the law is one of the institutions financed by blood money after all
yea or there's just mindless updating of parameters/information
it's not learning in the popperian sense of an evolutionary process of conjectures and refutations
@IamtheWay13 @MagnetThatcher @ToKTeacher @DavidDeutschOxf
fwiw 'taxation is theft' meets the legal definition well: law.cornell.edu/wex/theft
let me preemptively state that other intents such as 'helping the poor' do not collide with it
note also that the legal definition of 'theft' says nothing about reduction of quality of life
@IamtheWay13 @MagnetThatcher @ToKTeacher @DavidDeutschOxf
i haven't read the entire thread but:
not everyone is taxed the same (not that it would make things better if they were)
also you went from 'reducing wealth' to 'reducing relative wealth'
@stevegaines @IamtheWay13 @MagnetThatcher @ToKTeacher @DavidDeutschOxf
yes, it's controversial
RT @MurraySuggests:
Once one concedes that a single world government isn't necessary, then where does one logically stop at the permissibil…
RT @RonPaul:
Every excuse in the book is given for inflation. But inflation has a single source --> The Fed and the immoral fractional-rese…
Du kannst vermutlich eine Petition starten oder klagen.
RT @Stift_und_Bogen:
"Der Mann ist in Not, dem helfe ich." Marie #Burde (* 1892 (#otd), † 1963) lebt im Wedding in bitterer Armut, verkauft…
@ks445599 @mgoldingmd @ChristleNwora
For ice cream or in general?
Attenborough's specious ideas may have done more damage to the world than the rest of the BBC combined. twitter.com/Andr3jH/status…
Remind protesters that Kavanaugh helped bring the Lewinsky-Clinton affair to light, which was arguably #metoo before there was #metoo. twitter.com/LibertyLockPod…
RT @MinistryofTru16:
They are eating their own and it is glorious.
On the importance of making reversible changes. twitter.com/KyleKashuv/sta…
Yet if you x-rayed the minds of adults, you'd find millions of unexamined copies of "Taste is subjective."
Yes, because ideas replicate inside one's mind: blog.dennishackethal.com/posts/the-neo-…
RT @Cicero_PW:
Ich bin für den Genderstern.
Er ist ein geeignetes und hinreichendes Signal,
einen Text nicht weiterlesen zu müssen.
gitpretty.com (mine) if you feel like trying something different
RT @RonPaul:
Every form of authoritarianism has been tried (many times over) to turn free human beings into obedient robots.
The failure…
RT @PR0GRAMMERHUM0R:
I think I go home early today reddit.com/r/programmerhu… pic.twitter.com/aXQzEARVsG
RT @jooeysiiu:
Join me at @VoCommunism’s Tiananmen Massacre Candlelight Vigil tomorrow, 8PM at the Victims of Communism Memorial.
https://…
What if the slaveholder misled them about the work being voluntary and maintains tight psychological manipulation?
@jchalupa_ @bnielson01 @MatMcGann @BTC_SNEK @DoqxaScott
Fair enough but most of those are very serious not petty at all
@jchalupa_ @bnielson01 @MatMcGann @BTC_SNEK @DoqxaScott
This one? twitter.com/jchalupa_/stat…
@jchalupa_ @bnielson01 @MatMcGann @BTC_SNEK @DoqxaScott
You mentioned three kinds of violence, deemed them all “different”, and called only one of them a problem: twitter.com/jchalupa_/stat…
@bnielson01 @jchalupa_ @MatMcGann @BTC_SNEK @DoqxaScott
Lemme guess, it’s also easy to vary
@bnielson01 @jchalupa_ @MatMcGann @BTC_SNEK @DoqxaScott
Again, I usually don’t know who is who
I know where I won’t be moving anytime soon twitter.com/AP/status/1532…
@bnielson01 @jchalupa_ @MatMcGann @BTC_SNEK @DoqxaScott
They can also point out they abhor violence while at the same time disliking libertarianism for unrelated reasons. Which, again, Jose could have done but chose not to. If it had mattered to him he would have.
@bnielson01 @jchalupa_ @MatMcGann @BTC_SNEK @DoqxaScott
Clever, but no, because they can disagree with me for other reasons and make no comment on violence. In which case I just don’t know.
@bnielson01 @jchalupa_ @MatMcGann @BTC_SNEK @DoqxaScott
This isn’t that surprising. The vast majority of ppl love violence and can’t imagine living in a society without it. They also rush to defend institutionalized violence. So Jose is in good company.
@bnielson01 @jchalupa_ @MatMcGann @BTC_SNEK @DoqxaScott
Libertarians don’t want institutionalized violence. Jose is defending institutionalized violence. I even pointed out to him how he’s bending over backwards to make institutionalized violence work. He still didn’t deny loving violence.
@bnielson01 @jchalupa_ @MatMcGann @BTC_SNEK @DoqxaScott
Jose has been given plenty of opportunity to deny loving violence but he hasn't bothered to once
@bnielson01 @jchalupa_ @MatMcGann @BTC_SNEK @DoqxaScott
No that isn't how I define 'love of violence'. Ppl may disagree with me for other reasons and I don't describe them as loving violence.
I only describe people who love violence as loving violence.
@jchalupa_ @bnielson01 @MatMcGann @BTC_SNEK @DoqxaScott
Look up ‘paradox of tolerance’. There’s no need to be tolerant of those who love violence.
@MatMcGann @bnielson01 @jchalupa_ @BTC_SNEK @DoqxaScott
No, it’s def possible it will
Is it immoral to set free someone who’d prefer to remain a slave?
RT @waitbutwhy:
It's super important to support marginalized people in places where it's popular to do so pic.twitter.com/HIwNaLtkPE
I investigate this more here: blog.dennishackethal.com/posts/a-progra…
We also know some things about how to get there. The change can't come over night, it has to be piecemeal and reversible. Also, some avenues are more prudent than others – like, don't open the borders without getting rid of the welfare state first.
I did not claim to know how to implement libertarianism. We DO know, thanks to optimism, that it's possible – and, if done, that it will be the political implementation of Deutsch's optimism.
Nobody's talking about subjective knowledge.
Deutsch's optimism states that all evils are due to a lack of knowledge. For that to be true one does not need to know, specifically, how to solve each and every problem.
Libertarianism can, and hopefully will be, the political implementation of Deutsch's optimism – one day, when we know how. It is not currently.
Say you're not a programmer. You don't know how to implement addition in some programming language. That doesn't make you question that addition can be implemented, as long as you know how, does it?
I was of the opinion that we don't (yet!) know how to implement libertarianism long before this discussion started. This again shows that you understand little about my stance and are arguing against strawmen.
Asking "[w]here does inexplicit knowledge end and force begin?" doesn't make sense as those are largely orthogonal concepts. It's like asking 'where does chewing gum end and sugar begin?'
Inexplicit knowledge (per Deutsch) is knowledge not (yet) put into words.
Force (per TCS) is enacting an idea when a conflicting idea is still present in the (thus forced) mind.
it doesn't sound like you understand what inexplicit knowledge and force are
maybe you're referring to the fact that one shouldn't favor explicit knowledge over inexplicit knowledge just for being explicit (and vice versa)
I mean 'purest form of' as in 'the fullest implementation of' – nothing to do with essentialism
western democracy's institutions are violent
that's the difference between the west and libertarianism
(yes, yes, in the west we can remove bad leaders without violence, but somehow we haven't figured out how to have political institutions that don't operate on violence) twitter.com/codybaldwin/st…
@MatMcGann @bnielson01 @jchalupa_ @BTC_SNEK @DoqxaScott
How you weren't able to assume that already given that you know I'm a Popperian is a mystery to me, but there you go
@MatMcGann @bnielson01 @jchalupa_ @BTC_SNEK @DoqxaScott
Then let me state that I think institutionalized coercion is a problem – one of the big problems of our time, but yes, still 'just' one of countless other problems –, that its solution does not usher in some utopia, and that there will always be more problems to solve.
I've listened to both, yes. IIRC, the first one was about what Sarah called the fetishizing of consent.
RT @SJobs_Stories:
"Anytime I find something I like, I can just turn it around, and play something. It’s that easy. It’s that simple. Isn’t…
@jchalupa_ @MatMcGann @bnielson01 @BTC_SNEK @DoqxaScott
I suspect there's more than one sense in which institutions can be fundamental
Here we go
@jchalupa_ @MatMcGann @bnielson01 @BTC_SNEK @DoqxaScott
Lol right, those who love peace and peaceable cooperation and prefer it over violence are the psychos