Liberty Camp question: Are you a criminal?
29 June 2009 by Mike GogulskiPosted in crime | 4 Comments »
Today I discussed crime and punishment in my groups, pointing out the difference between moral crimes and crimes in law, and then offering also the suggestion that a change from a punishment model of crime control to one based around restitution is possible, desirable and likely to emerge in a truly free market.
Right near the beginning of the discussion, I asked group members to indicate if they were criminals, by raising their hands, and led off by sticking mine up first.
Eventually, and rather quickly, every hand went up.
There is honor among thieves, though the “thievery” in play here is of the legal kind, not the moral kind (think: mp3). This represents and opportunity for building community among libertarians, which is largely ignored by the mainstream libertarian movement.
Camp attendees who are following my blog are encouraged to read “The penalty is always death” (which I presented in abbreviated form in several sessions anyway), and the linked “Clown suit defense” articles.
4 Responses to “Liberty Camp question: Are you a criminal?”
By Fivemileshigh on 30 June 2009
Hey, what’s this liberty camp you’re talking about? Sounds interesting. Thanks.
By Zefram Cochrane on 1 July 2009
I am enjoying your blog, but I must ask:
Why is stealing mp3s only legal thievery?
Because you aren’t facing the person from whom you are stealing?
Does the issuer of a product have the right to define the terms under which you buy it from him? Because most recording artists (or their contracting agents) have stated that they intend purchased mp3s to be used by the purchaser only, not spread to millions of anonymous “friends”.
I used to download music when I was a kid, but could never reconcile how it was any different than stealing CDs from a record store, except that in the former case, the only one to stop me was myself. And isn’t that the essence of morality: still doing right when no one is looking?
By Sunni on 4 July 2009
@Fivemileshigh: Liberty English Camps are held mostly in Eastern Europe, the Baltics, and Africa. The aim is to give freedom-loving young people exposure to a wide range of ideas in liberty, while helping them strengthen their English skills—both formally and informally. Teachers usually are volunteers—unpaid in the monetary sense but probably every bit as rewarded as the students for their participation.