User:JFG

testI've been asked to lay out my full set of beliefs on the Private Patreon hangout so here I'm starting a draft of a layout.

My fundamental personal values are the following, in that order:

1. Existence. 2. Truth. 3. Freedom.

My political preferences stem from these moral axioms. Politics is the set of activities that people engage in when trying to harmonize proper societal behaviors, that is, behaviors that impact other people (exchanges, work, markets, crimes, etc.). One cannot engage consensually in a genuine political contract as long as their existence is threatened. As such, any situation in which the actions of another being could lead to the loss of my life or the loss of my ability to reproduce is an attack on my existence, making any political discussions moot. Such threats to existence can only be dealt with in accordance with the principles of self-defense and self-preservation.

We could say that a genuine political contract can only exist when the existence of the different parties entering that contract is assured and not put in question by the political contract. Politics, in a way, is the sorting out of the details once everyone's safety is ensured. Thus no political principles should be followed or included in a political contract that would be reasonably expected to lead to the death or interfere with the reproduction of any participant.

Similar principles to those laid out above apply to the principle of truth. For a political contract to be valid, the parties entering it must have a commitment and an ability to make truthful representations and not to deceive other parties or themselves about the facts of the world. If truth cannot be adhered to as a principle, then a space is left opened for parties to lie about what constitutes and what does not constitute an existential threat, which can lead to some people's existence rights being infringed upon without recognition that it is the case. For instance, imagine a society that has decided to deceive themselves into not believing any statistics about criminality happening in a certain area. Imagine that society has successfully convinced, through this deception, individuals to be walking in that area without care for their own protection. These individuals are risking their life (i.e. their existential right) without knowing it; and as such the political contract has been breached, not through an open attack, but through deception and denial of the truth.

Thus truthful communications and a commitment to truth by parties is a necessary precondition for a political contract to be valid and functional. Additionally, it is in the interest of a political alliance (state) to disincentivize lies and punish the liars, as any opportunity for a violation of the truth is an opportunity for deceptively attacking the right to existence, making the political contract void. This, of course, does not mean that the determination of truth is an easy matter or that an authoritarian truth will be declared over the personal convictions of the participants to a political society. Indeed, most matters will never have to be adjudicated politically or judicially, and a society must let ample space for discussion and disagreement on matters that do not directly threaten the freedom and existence of the other participants. I will expand more on the mechanisms for truth-finding in society later.

Finally, freedom is also a necessary precondition to a valid political contract. If parties are having their will bent by a given political contract, then they start at a disadvantage and are taking commitments that they would not be truly willing to honor if it wasn't of the pressure, extortion, threats or actual acts of violence that forces their adherence to it. As such, the freedom of the individual, of his decision-making, of the expression of his opinions and beliefs, must be fully protected for the political contract to be entered in fairly. This state of non-extortion must be continued throughout the existence of the society, thus liberty must be continually preserved for the political contract to retain its validity. This axiom also makes most non-voluntary tax schemes, all medical mandates, and any compelled speech or interference with legitimate business activities illegal.

Some further notes on which I will expand later:

• The commitment to truth and the fact of the Darwinian nature of existence.
• The unit of freedom - individuals, families, corporations...
• The right to opt out.
• Parental rights and child liberty.
• The roles barred to the state.
• The roles allowed to the state.
• The right to contract not only in business but in family structure.
• Democracy violates principles of freedom.
• Free speech but not the freedom to speak for others, nor the freedom to deceive others.
• Technological threats to human existence.
• Liberty as responsibility rather than possibility or entitlement.
• The person who decides is the person who lives with the consequences.
• The tragedy of the commons and its solution.