 The Anatomy of Coercion
by William Scott Dwyer
In this article, I reply to arguments by John Hospers in which he questions the clarity and legitimacy of the non-initiation-of-force principle. I defend the principle and explain what is wrong with his philosophical objections to it. (Read more...)
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BANK FAILURES: Market Failure or Government Failure
by William Scott Dwyer
Many banks have failed under government control of the financial system, but wasn't it worse under free banking in which there was no lender of last resort and no federal insurance of depositors' funds in the event of bank failures? The following article examines this question in light of the historical evidence. (Read more...)
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The Folly of Workplace Regulations
by William Scott Dwyer
Workplace regulations do more harm than good, contrary to the claims of government regulators. They create unemployment and interfere with the free choices of workers and business. (Read more...)
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Crime and Poverty, Part I
by William Scott Dwyer
Welfare state liberals have been claiming for decades that poverty causes crime. It is an assertion that very few people ever question. But is it true? The current article views the relationship between poverty and crime in a wholly different light, and arrives at some startling and unconventional conclusions. (Read more...)
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Crime and Poverty, Part II
by William Scott Dwyer
Welfare state liberals have been claiming for decades that poverty causes crime. It is an assertion that very few people ever question. But is it true? The current article views the relationship between poverty and crime in a wholly different light, and arrives at some startling and unconventional conclusions. The second part of the article looks at the real causes of crime. (Read more...)
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In Defense of Discrimination
by William Scott Dwyer
Discrimination is bad! We hear it from the pulpit, from the media, from our moralists and especially from our "civil rights" leaders. But is discrimination the evil that everyone says it is? My answer is: No. It depends on the kind of discrimination one is talking about. In fact, discrimination can be a good thing, and even something worth promoting. (Read more...)
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Free Riders versus Forced Riders
by William Scott Dwyer
If voluntary government financing permits free riders -- those who refuse to pay for something they value at the price they are being charged -- then taxation requires forced riders -- those who are forced to pay for something they don't value at the price they are being charged. Are forced riders an acceptable solution to the problem of free riders? Read the article and find out! (Read more...)
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The True Meaning of "Civil Rights"
by William Scott Dwyer
The modern version of civil rights is now a fait accompli -- an uncontroversial part of the American culture. Yet the original meaning of "civil rights" as introduced by Thomas Paine has all but been forgotten, if it was ever understood to begin with. In it's original incarnation, "civil rights" meant essentially the same thing as the "unalienable rights" referred to in the Declaration of Independence. Today, however, the term "civil rights" has devolved into the opposite of its original meaning and is now synonymous with ethnic rights, which are the antipode of the individual rights endorsed by Paine and Jefferson. (Read more...)
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An Open Letter to a Catholic High School
by William Scott Dwyer
The following letter, written in 1983, was sent to the principal of my high school in response to the school's request for donations and its invitation to a 25-year class reunion. I am including it here, because it exposes a facet of Catholic education that most non-Catholics are probably not aware of, namely, its extreme violence and brutality, which serve to illustrate Rand's archetypes of Attila and the Witch Doctor -- the unholy alliance between faith and force, which characterizes the rejection of reason. (Read more...)
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Wednesday
October 18, 2006 |
The Justice of Inequality
by William Scott Dwyer
Increases in the inequality of wealth and income are viewed as a moral and economic failure, but insofar as they occur in a free market, they are simply a reflection of the laws of supply and demand and are in fact desirable, because they not only provide for the proper allocation of economic resources and thereby ensure that people's needs and desires are met, but also reflect the fact that producers receive the value of what they produce -- that those who produce more earn more -- which, far from being unjust, is a prerequisite of economic justice. (Read more...)
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Objectivism, "Contextual Knowledge" and the Correspondence Theory of Truth: Conclusion
by William Scott Dwyer
In this, the final part of my article, I expose the contradictions in Schwartz's application of his principle that a seemingly true conclusion arrived at on the basis of false premises is a false conclusion. Despite his principle, Schwartz considers von Mises, whose epistemology and ethics depart radically from Objectivism's, to be a proponent of individualism and an ally in the fight for freedom and capitalism, while nevertheless arguing that libertarians cannot be considered allies, because they do not share Objectivism's premises. He is also at odds with Ayn Rand who is on record as stating that she considered some religious people to be supporters of Objectivism and allies in the fight for freedom. (Read more...)
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Objectivism, "Contextual Knowledge" and the Correspondence Theory of Truth: Part 2
by William Scott Dwyer
This is the second part of a three-part article. Here, I evaluate Schwartz's view of truth as well as Rand's definition. I find both to be unsatisfactory and at odds with the traditional correspondence theory. (Read more...)
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 Objectivism, "Contextual Knowledge" and the Correspondence Theory of Truth
by William Scott Dwyer
In a lecture entitled "Contextual Knowledge," available from the Ayn Rand Bookstore, Peter Schwartz argues that the concept of contextual knowledge implies that a conclusion validly derived from false premises is a false conclusion, because the context of the premises conditions the conclusion, so that if the premises are false, the conclusion must, therefore, be false. Since according to Schwartz, false premises can never yield a true conclusion, it follows that non-Objectivist libertarians cannot be regarded as true advocates of liberty. Since their conclusion that liberty is good is based on false premises, it must, therefore be a false conclusion.
Schwartz's view of contextual knowledge or, more accurately, of contextual truth, is untenable and implies a theory of truth that is at odds with the traditional correspondence theory. His view also has subjectivist implications, because it implies that an idea which corresponds to reality can be false for someone who holds it for the wrong reasons but true for someone who holds it for the right reasons. Schwartz also applies his view of contextual truth selectively and inconsistently, crediting Ludwig von Mises for being an advocate of liberty, while denying that title to other libertarians who are non-Objectivist. (Read more...)
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