Speaking of Reason

[ken]

Freematt357 at aol.com wrote:

[...]

> Sterling makes a comment betraying what Ludwig Von Mises called the 
> anti-capitalist mentality when he quipped to Godwin: "Sure, we hate Exxon because 
> they're huge and they're everywhere."

He was pointing it out, not preaching it. I think over in Austin 
they do self-deprecrating humour, just like us English do.

> Sterling is a capitalist in the same way that Brin is a libertarian. I think 
> what it is, both are uncomfortable with really labeling what their true 
> ideology is and therefore feel some need to candy coat their statism.

I think - but I don't know - that Bruce is a lefty, but not a statist.

Anyway the real relevance of the viridian list  to the cypherpunks 
list is that it is about technical fixes to apparently political 
problems. It's saying something like:

"so you think cars (or fridges, or office buildings, or polyester 
pants) are destroying the world? Don't vote to ban them - all that 
will happen then is that only the rich (or the government, opr the 
military) get to own them. Instead design and build and sell 
better cars, kinder gentler fridges,  healthier buildings, cleaner 
pants, whatever. And these days, cooler, stylish, and more fun, is 
part of what "better" means".

(my paraphrasody of what I see Bruce's point as)