3 ms·

In that case, you're merely changing the definition of government to suit your argument.

baddox 13y ago
How is that? My definition of government is not merely a set of functions performed, but rather the way they are performed, funded, chosen, etc.
- mncolinlee 13y ago
  Exactly. Government is not limited to some tightly-controlled definition conveniently suited to your anti-government rhetoric. It includes almost all means of organizing society. The only social structure that doesn't function as government is unenforced anarchism, which doesn't allow for market freedom because the powerful simply take from the weak.
  - baddox 13y ago
    It seems like you're not reading my comments. I just said that I do not define government by a specific set of functions.
    - lotsofmangos 13y ago
      That hardly matters if lots of other people do.
      - baddox 13y ago
        I'm not interested in a semantic argument. My arguments that mention government are, obviously, referring to my own definition of that term.
        lotsofmangos 13y ago
        Have you clearly defined this definition anywhere, so that it can be consulted to find out what you are on about, or are you winging it?
        baddox 13y ago
        I gave it a shot in this comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7437083 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7437083. I think this description fits pretty well with most people's idea of what is and isn't a "government," although most people probably have never tried to explain their own internal definition.
- dragonwriter 13y ago
  > My definition of government is not merely a set of functions performed, but rather the way they are performed, funded, chosen, etc. Given that that's not anything remotely like the common use of the term (which is about functions), maybe you should use a more appropriate term to avoid confusion.
  - baddox 13y ago
    > Given that that's not anything remotely like the common use of the term (which is about functions), maybe you should use a more appropriate term to avoid confusion. On the contrary. I think my definition describes what most people think of as a government. If I show up at your door with 5 tough guys, explain to you that your neighborhood has voted to instigate a 25% income tax in order to maintain the roads of the neighborhood, would you consider me to be government? Would you comply? According to what you just claimed, since I would be performing a function generally associated with government, acquiring funds the same way as government, and using a similar justification (the vote) as government, it sounds like you would consider me to be government. And yet, I do not think most people would agree.

How is that? My definition of government is not merely a set of functions performed, but rather the way they are performed, funded, chosen, etc.

mncolinlee 13y ago
Exactly. Government is not limited to some tightly-controlled definition conveniently suited to your anti-government rhetoric. It includes almost all means of organizing society. The only social structure that doesn't function as government is unenforced anarchism, which doesn't allow for market freedom because the powerful simply take from the weak.
- baddox 13y ago
  It seems like you're not reading my comments. I just said that I do not define government by a specific set of functions.
  - lotsofmangos 13y ago
    That hardly matters if lots of other people do.
    - baddox 13y ago
      I'm not interested in a semantic argument. My arguments that mention government are, obviously, referring to my own definition of that term.
      - lotsofmangos 13y ago
        Have you clearly defined this definition anywhere, so that it can be consulted to find out what you are on about, or are you winging it?
        baddox 13y ago
        I gave it a shot in this comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7437083 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7437083. I think this description fits pretty well with most people's idea of what is and isn't a "government," although most people probably have never tried to explain their own internal definition.
dragonwriter 13y ago
> My definition of government is not merely a set of functions performed, but rather the way they are performed, funded, chosen, etc. Given that that's not anything remotely like the common use of the term (which is about functions), maybe you should use a more appropriate term to avoid confusion.
- baddox 13y ago
  > Given that that's not anything remotely like the common use of the term (which is about functions), maybe you should use a more appropriate term to avoid confusion. On the contrary. I think my definition describes what most people think of as a government. If I show up at your door with 5 tough guys, explain to you that your neighborhood has voted to instigate a 25% income tax in order to maintain the roads of the neighborhood, would you consider me to be government? Would you comply? According to what you just claimed, since I would be performing a function generally associated with government, acquiring funds the same way as government, and using a similar justification (the vote) as government, it sounds like you would consider me to be government. And yet, I do not think most people would agree.