Positive or Negative Rights

Also posted on Hoplotarian and SteemIt

Is what we want always a lack of something?

I've been looking for the word that succinctly and accurately represents what we are looking for in the "liberty movement." Of late, "libertarian" has fit the bill, because "liberal" has been tainted by back-biting power-hungry abusers.

"Freedom" leads back to "freeneck." Unfortunately, a "freeneck" is a guy lacking a yoke.

"Liberty" instantly - for me - brings to mind "at liberty," as in a sailor that has been allowed to have a day off from his contracted servitude. There is a good, basic foundation for "liberty," especially after the United States revolutionary civil war, but it is still tainted by being let loose from something.

What's the right word? Maybe it needs to be invented - or discovered. Or maybe it will never really exist.

This all leads back to the left's fundamental criticism of the "freedom movement" - that liberty is all about "negative rights." So is what we want just negative.

Even if you journey down the path to no government, the word for it is negative - "anarchy," which means "no ruler." Continuing down this rabbit hole, which doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing, we can come up with a word that is foundational and positive.

Let's break down "anarchy:" "an" = "without" + "archy" = "ruler." So what would be positive? "Self" + "ruler." "Autarchy." Oops! We did go down a rabbit hole. We ended up with an "absolute ruler," which is the absolute opposite of what I was getting at.

"Eaftos" is another form of "self" in Greek. "Know thyself" translated into "gnothi sauton" in Greek. "Sautonarchy" could be it, but it is hard to say. Shortened to "sautarchy" would leave us with "salty ruler" or "shoot ruler," if one confuses the Scottish and French words.

So what about Latin, because "anarchy really is about the same in Latin and Greek. We gets word for "self" like "sui," "sese," "ipse." "Suiarchy" is being used in a very-small scale on the Web. It might be the one. And it might be too close to "suicide." There are alternatives, or are there?

Nope. I don't think there are another way. "Sui" = "self" + "cide" = "murder." "Suiarchy:" "sui" = "self" + "archy" = "ruler."

Job done. Now we have a word that does not draw its strength from being negative, though it shares a stem that is used in a negative word. That's just the way it is.

Restorative Justice and Discipline

Has "libertarian" ideals snuck their way into our school systems through a "liberal" bleeding heart?

From Wikipedia:

Restorative justice is an approach to justice that focuses on the needs of the victims and the offenders, as well as the involved community, instead of satisfying abstract legal principles or punishing the offender. Victims take an active role in the process, while offenders are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions, "to repair the harm they've done—by apologizing, returning stolen money, or community service".^[1] In addition, it provides help for the offender in order to avoid future offences. It is based on a theory of justice that considers crime and wrongdoing to be an offence against an individual or community, rather than the state.^[2] Restorative justice that fosters dialogue between victim and offender shows the highest rates of victim satisfaction and offender accountability.^[3]

When I first read about it, when researching it when I found a reference to it while checking out my kids' school system website, I was taken aback by how much it seemed to be trying to compensate for the negative effects of centralized state schooling. Also, it seemed to be focused too much on the disadvantage experience by "people of color." And I can see a level of "disadvantage" for people that don't fit into the mainstream, regardless of color, so focusing on "the system is racist" instead of a system that violates everyone's rights does all of us a disservice.

I feel that the most important part of "restorative justice" is that it "considers crime and wrongdoing to be an offence against an individual ... rather than the state." And yes, I edited out "the community," because crimes are never committed against collectives.

More to learn.

(edited 2/25/15)

Freedom Fundamentalist: Another Descriptor For Libertarian

In generally, I describe myself as a small-"L" libertarian. But as a rule of thumb, it depends on who I am talking to:

When speaking with a ...
... Democrat, I'm a "libertarian."
... Republican, I'm a "libertarian" or "Liberty Caucus" supporter.
... Libertarian, I'm a "small-'L' libertarian."
... small-"L" libertarian, I'm an "anarchist."
... "anarchist," I'm an "anarchist," "agorist," "anarcho-capitalist," "voluntaryist," or whatever is the best label at the moment.

But when I was doing some crowdsource work, and when a question came up to clarify my political bent, I typed "freedom fundamentalist."

As a non-bomb-throwing descriptor - that is not an easily-confused, mouth-full garble like "voluntaryist" or "voluntaryianist"- I'd call myself a "freedom fundamentalist," for now.

My Political Philosophy 1.0

A sovereign individualist. Former minarchist, former conservative, former liberal, former military-industrial-complex proponent. But in every way, concerned with the pragmatic needs of the individual to survive and thrive in spite of the state.