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The error in the reasoning of this excerpt is the assumption that the government can justly create any law that it wants, short of taking away a person's bare n
by dpatru 13y ago
The error in the reasoning of this excerpt is the assumption that the government can justly create any law that it wants, short of taking away a person's bare necessities. By this logic, slavery is fine as long as the slave has food, water, and shelter. The slave has no right to complain as long as he's better off than he would be in the most primitive state of nature.
The declaration of independence expresses a better view: we are endowed with liberty by our Creator and it is the role of government to protect that liberty. Under this view, government's actions can be judged.
- rayiner 13y agoA slave's participation in the system is not voluntary. Your participation in society is voluntary (i.e. complain about taxes before you get rich--don't complain about the bargain after you've seen how it plays out!) Also: if you assume God exists, then there is a moral framework that's externally imposed which makes arguments like these moot. But whose God are we talking about that creates these endowed rights? And where in the Bible does it talk about taxes?
- mdturnerphys 13y ago"And where in the Bible does it talk about taxes?" Not really relevant to the discussion, but since you asked, here's what comes to mind: - "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's" - Matthew (as in "The Gospel of") had been a tax collector - Jesus was born in Bethlehem because Joseph and Mary had to go there for a tax census