But from an economic standpoint, that's demonstrably false. Stipulating that Mr. Buffett isn't objectively stupid, then he must be invincibly ignorant, willfully ignorant, or mentally ill. Whichever it is, you'd think a man of his advanced age would be afraid to die with "I kept thousands (millions?) of babies from being born!" as his "accomplishment."
You're a theologian, aren't you? Maybe you can help with a question I was pondering in the weeks before the election. To what extent does a Catholic have a moral obligation to overcome ignorance? When a person supports a higher minimum wage, even though it demonstrably damages employment prospects for the most needy workers ... and higher tax rates, even though they demonstrably produce lower tax revenues ... and socialized medicine, even though that clearly debases human life and dignity, particularly for the old, children, the handicapped ... is that person morally responsible for supporting policies that are known to hurt people, or is he "innocent" simply because his fantasy is so powerful? Or is a person who steadfastly denies objective reality mentally ill?
Well, I play one on the radio sometimes.
Maybe you can help with a question I was pondering in the weeks before the election. To what extent does a Catholic have a moral obligation to overcome ignorance?
Everyone has a moral obligation to overcome ignorance. If anyone refuses to investigate an issue because he suspects that he will have to change his life if he finds out the right answer, and he much prefers the sin he is in, he is as culpable for any resulting sin as he would be if he were fully informed. Indeed, the refusal to seek out Truth is a refusal to seek out God, for God is Truth. That is precisely the refusal which constitutes hell for those who have died.
Now, that having been said, there is such a thing as invincible ignorance, and that can clear you of all consequences. For instance, let's say that I was raised a Southern Baptist and I was taught from infancy that Catholics were pure evil, nothing but idolaters who would twist Scripture in order to snare me to hell.
As a result, I avoided every opportunity I had to learn what the Catholic Church taught because I didn't want to be snared by the devil. Every time I was exposed to the truth of Catholic Faith, I strenuously rejected it because I feared the truth that I saw was really just Satan twisting divine revelation in a way I couldn't detect.
Now, objectively speaking, I have rejected the truths of the Catholic Church and that would normally condemn me. But the REASON I rejected those truths was because I was a God-fearing man who desired to do only what God intended. Because of my peculiar situation, I had no way of knowing nor any way of learning that the Catholic Faith is Truth and that it is indeed where God wants me to be. Thus, I actually have a GREAT shot at heaven. This is not due to my ignorance, it is despite my ignorance.
Oddly enough, the Catholics who failed to correctly proclaim the Gospel to this poor Southern Baptist are the ones more likely to be subject to hell, or at least Purgatory. They had a duty to proclaim the Faith in a way that he would know and embrace, and they failed in that duty.
The same thing would apply here. If the person was raised a socialist or had no access to the Internet or was deeply influenced by college liberals/MSM to such an extent that he could no longer reason clearly, and instead just knee-jerked to every minimum wage law that came along, he isn't going to be culpable.
However, his teachers might well be.