Jeffrey Luk's Blog

 If I could, I would have given myself to art. Instead, I am stuck with the language of analytic philosophy: hard, metallic argumentation. Premises and conclusions interlock with one another like a mathematical proof. Clarity becomes a crutch, and interpretation is cut out like a surgeon debriding a wound.  I have no intention of degrading the value of my philosophical education. But when one is moved by a piece of art, we cannot help but yearn to understand the one who created it. It is like the ancient scientists, who, upon reflecting in awe on the vastness of the night sky, looked to God. And the opposite is true -- when art does not appeal to us, we cannot help but pity its maker. But such is all creation: it offers a glimpse into the strange (and beautiful?) mind of their creators.  Philosophy used to be a thing of beauty. But the big questions have all been filed away, and grumblings over definitions and obscure subjects run academia. I mourn how we have abandoned t...

Typically, you might see libertarians touting around the phrase that taxation is theft. But when we turn around, we might see them using our tax-paid-for roads, hospitals, and other public goods funded by the people.  But one can be unhappy with the current state of affairs while consenting to it. For example, take the grumbling of a cancer patient who has to experience nausea/vomiting and weight loss but decides to go through with the treatment anyways.    The same can be said about those who accuse anti-capitalists (particularly Hasan) of enjoying the benefits of capitalism while making their living off of disavowing it. One can consent to the present state of affairs while being discontent with it.   So, as a libertarian, I will say the following: I am happy to pay taxes in the current state of affairs, but I grumble at my present circumstance, such that when a better state of affairs might present itself (i.e. a minimal state, or a political candidate who is...