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To: hopespringseternal
"What you are really saying is that you view moral absolutism as being autocratic and brutal in nature. It isn't."

It is, but only if the moral absolutists happen to control the government. Can you imagine a scenario in which a moral absolutist would allow something which they considered immoral to be practiced if they were in charge of making the laws and enforcing them? I can't.

Whether or not they are brutal depends largely on their morals, but I believe we can count on them to be autocratic. Every theocracy since the beginning of time has been autocratic. After all, what is the point of knowing the "one true way", if you cannot force those less fortunate to follow the "path of enlightenment"?

You said "And no, actually the Taliban aren't moral absolutists at all."

They may not agree among themselves just exactly what those moral absolutes are, but they are far more consistent in their moral absolutism than you, and your millions of fellow moral absolutists, are in this country.
144 posted on 04/22/2004 2:10:07 PM PDT by monday
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To: monday
It is, but only if the moral absolutists happen to control the government.

Yeah, that George Washington was a real libertine.

Can you imagine a scenario in which a moral absolutist would allow something which they considered immoral to be practiced if they were in charge of making the laws and enforcing them? I can't.

Besides titty bars, what immoral things would you want the freedom to do?

Whether or not they are brutal depends largely on their morals, but I believe we can count on them to be autocratic. Every theocracy since the beginning of time has been autocratic. After all, what is the point of knowing the "one true way", if you cannot force those less fortunate to follow the "path of enlightenment"?

Probably the most libertarian society in antiquity would have been the ancient Israelites. There is more to being free than being able to screw your neighbor's wife. There is also the ability to start a business, own land, and keep your own wife without the king appropriating these things for himself.

One of the biggest mistakes of Libertarians is not understanding that freedom is not comprised of permission from the government, but limitations on the power of government.

They may not agree among themselves just exactly what those moral absolutes are, but they are far more consistent in their moral absolutism than you, and your millions of fellow moral absolutists, are in this country.

Why, because we believe in freedom and you think moral relativism is required for freedom? One of the cornerstones of moral absolutism is being bound by the morals you require of everyone else. The Taliban in particular and Islam in general do exactly the opposite. They have one standard for themselves and an entirely different standard for "infidels."

153 posted on 04/22/2004 7:02:42 PM PDT by hopespringseternal (People should be banned for sophistry.)
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