Controlling Violence

A Monopoly on Violence

Nobody wants violence inflicted on them. So, in an effort to try and stop this, human beings band together and form states to try to collectively govern this violence. However, this does not really 'stop' the violence because, not only does it use violence against its own populace, it uses it against those outside of the system. It creates a kind of 'join us or die' attitude. Individual potential for destruction turns into a much more powerful, collective one. However, there really is no such thing as collective property or collective power. Since only one will can be exerted on one object, a collective decision is ultimately the decision of individuals.


The Collective Body

Decisions are made within the brain of an individual. Since there is no collective brain, it is really difficult to argue that a collective decision can even be made. But it is possible when all brains come up with the same conclusion. If one does not agree, he can either be convinced, forced to obey, traded with or, in extremely rare cases kicked out or ignored. The collective fist, on the other hand, is something much more physical and objective. Whatever the brain comes up with, the collective fist enforces. A fist can only be stopped by another fist but that just means that the fist has been replaced by a stronger one. The only way to stop the cycle is to not be apart of it. Control your own violence, don't let your fists assimilate into the collective, but if you do, you will have very little control of what it does meaning that it could hurt those who you do not want it to hurt, including yourself.

The Greatest Test for Governance

I'm so excited, there is less than a month left until Obama's inauguration. Of course, the excitement has much less to do with Obama and more to do with the aftermath of his administration. Here, Obama, the guy who [almost] everyone has invested all of their hopes in, will face one of the greatest challenges any government has ever faced. Global economic trouble, war, healthcare, education... everything is a mess. Best government, worst circumstances, the ultimate test for the practicality of government.

BBC: Deaths from Mumbai 'police error' : do NOT trust police

only those who trully love you would be willing to go as far as murder to save your life... you can never trust those who are paid to do this, they can always be outbid.

you are the sole protector of your life; 'There should be a law' against giving this power to anybody else... .

Recession now hitting websites?

Here is an email i recieved from a music player website i use, mixwit.

Mixwit is Shutting Down‏
From: Mixwit (X)
Medium riskYou may not know this sender.
Sent: December 18, 2008 7:06:00 AM
To: X

We regret to announce that Mixwit will cease to exist at the end of the
year.The website and profiles will be turned off around Dec 27th and
all embedded widgets will stop playing before the end of December.

We’ve put a year of work into Mixwit so this choice wasn’t taken lightly. I
won’t go into the details of our situation but state simply that we
boldly marched into in a position best described as “between a rock and a
hard place.” We’re very grateful to be have been part of the mixtape
revival of ‘08 and are satisfied to be able to to bow out while things
are still good.

You guys are all amazing. It’s clear that all of you put a ton of time and
effort into your mixes. For me personally, I was looking forward to all of
the designs people created for their tapes. There was a lot of basic tapes
and many lovely photos, but the designs and artwork - WOW!

We’re very sorry that this has to end. We’re going to try to figure out
some way to archive the artwork and playlists, if for nothing at least
historic value. As for now, everything needs to be shut down by the end
of the year just to make sure we’ve got a clean start for 2009.

We’ll return early next year with a new company and new toys. Until
then, enjoy the holidays and please take good care of yourselves,
your families, and your friends =)

- Radley & Mike

They didn't explain why... sadly. I will miss this site.. I know there are others like it, but this one had the special 'old time' flavour to it. Especially since i had lived in a country where cassettes, the way music is played on the website, were reletivly new. They were something from my old generation; the 90's were some of the greatest years of my life.

Then they showed up on the internets (oh look, a new firefox is now available...).

Well, i guess i will need to google myself another website for this... I wonder if there is one for record players? surely there are jukeboxes...

Past Dreams: Running Through Faces

There was a crowd of people that circled around me, staring and screaming at me. I couldn't see over anyone since I was most likely the youngest and shortest person there. I needed to escape so I ran, pushing my way through the crowed. It was so dark, I could only see Individual screaming faces in my way but I managed to dodge all of them. The screams just got louder and louder until I couldn't take it anymore and woke up. It bothers me that I never made it through.

Project 2b : Henry David Thoreau

From Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau:

"The mass of men serve the state thus, not as men mainly, but as machines, with their bodies. They are the standing army, and the militia, jailers, constables, posse comitatus, etc. In most cases there is no free exercise whatever of the judgment or of the moral sense; but they put themselves on a level with wood and earth and stones; and wooden men can perhaps be manufactured that will serve the purpose as well. Such command no more respect than men of straw or a lump of dirt. They have the same sort of worth only as horses and dogs. Yet such as these even are commonly esteemed good citizens. Others, as most legislators, politicians, lawyers, ministers, and office-holders, serve the state chiefly with their heads; and, as they rarely make any moral distinctions, they are as likely to serve the devil, without intending it, as God. A very few, as heroes, patriots, martyrs, reformers in the great sense, and men, serve the state with their consciences also, and so necessarily resist it for the most part; and they are commonly treated as enemies by it. A wise man will only be useful as a man, and will not submit to be "clay," and "stop a hole to keep the wind away," but leave that office to his dust at least: —

"I am too high-born to be propertied,
To be a secondary at control,
Or useful serving-man and instrument
To any sovereign state throughout the world."

He who gives himself entirely to his fellow-men appears to them useless and selfish; but he who gives himself partially to them is pronounced a benefactor and philanthropist.

How does it become a man to behave toward this American government to-day? I answer, that he cannot without disgrace be associated with it. I cannot for an instant recognize that political organization as my government which is the slave's government also."

Thoreau had written his own type of Anti-Contract through a letter to his government.

Governmental Freedom: a promise that can never be achieved.

Could it be that the desire for freedom is what has initiated the creation of governments?
Genius. What better way to enslave the population. A promise that can never be achieved.
Its like freedom is dangling on a string in front of us... we hope that if we run to it, we will catch it; but of course, we never do. Some governments hold the string far from us, giving less incentive for us to run to it. The closer the string, the more likely it is that we will run to it. The longer and faster we run, the more efficient we are. The more efficient we are, the more energy is stolen from us.

Political libertarianism is nothing but holding that string a millimeter away from our reach. Very few people realize that the solution is to cut the string entirely.

fuck the police

with my gun in the air you can find me
push through the doors so to see
that all our lives, we've been sacrificed
admire the lives us sheep lead.


...then he said, "no, don't risk it, fuck the police."

Project 2a : The Anti-Contract

Kantian obligation theory and Utilitarian ends theory both give moral obligations to the well being of others. The opposite of duty to others is, duty to the self. In some contexts, this may be termed "selfishness," when really, it is nothing more than "rational self interest."
Both these theories have been tried, both have failed. The connections between the theory and reality will have been made clear. In both cases, they have produced the deaths of thousands. However, the Nazis and the Communists are not the only ones I speak of. Even the definition of the state implies the destruction of self interest for the masses, thus producing monsters willing to, not only die, but kill for all those who oppose the nation.
Of course, there is not only one nation. Some will find themselves die off and replaced, like Soviet Russia, and some will dominate and take control, like the United States. Yet, they all have a lifespan; its just, the effecient and healthier ones last longer.
Now we are supposedly experiencing the destruction of the United States. It could be true, as I believe it, that it will collapse and depending on how long it can keep the trust of the citizens and when their trust will diminish, that their may either be wars or negotations. Depending on how much the human race has evolved, we will either choose the latter or the former. There is a chance that some of us may be evolving through 'using war' instead of 'using negotations,' however. Some of our brothers believe they know whats best for us, but even so, I would rather choose my own doctor. Sure, even if the social contract was implicit, I should be allowed to break it because all contracts have that clause. Contracts without that clause, and being a fair clause - meaning that both sides agree to it without any threats -, cannot be called true contracts. So, it is possible to use another type of contract, the anti-contracts, which can be made to release yourself out of any contract that did not have that clause in it already.

utilitarianism, action and quantification

for utilitarianism, action is the only thing that can be known and quantified.
its not that intentions do not matter.. its just that.. we cannot know or quantify it.
its all about what can be known for sure and that is what is morally praiseworthy.

faith in humanity

every so often, as a result of something going on in the world, i say to myself, "i have lost faith in humanity"

however, i realized that i never use faith to solve anything.
and hoping isnt much different.

action is the only thing that counts.

a new appreciation for romanticism

after a series of, what i soon found to be, hollow relationships, my curiosity for love had died.

yet, while reminiscing about one of my past juliets, i realised that the daydreams, by themselves, had brought me joy.

Means vs Ends

Moral ends can only be achieved through moral means.
However, it is not the same case for money, as one can spend money to make money.
When calculating somethings moral praisworthyness, all actions commited must be taken into account.
Those who advocate the effeciency and morality of non-violence must also advocate the abolishment of forced taxation.

Ramblings: 3: how vulrenable we really are

as i get older, i realize that my body isn't as malleable as it once was. Before when I fell, i got up and kept on playing. Now, I take my time.

it frightens me.

I am still young. I do not want to grow old. I do not want to whither away. I do not want to die. but of course, I don't know what that really means.

I don't know what happens next, I cannot imagine what being completely unconscious is like... even in sleep I dream.

Yet, the fact that I am conscious now tells me something...

what if the dead are reincarnated?

could it be possible to remain conscious while my body lies dead, in the ground?
what if I am cremated?

I wonder what the dead think.

Obama, our new master

it brings shivers down my back when they cry for him.
really, what has happened? What is so intense?
he is no different than any other politician,
he is just another slave master.

i dont know if pathetic is the right word to describe it.
how can anyone be so emotionally attached to such an abusive relationship?
just the same way they get attached to anything else i suppose...
...hope for change prepare for disappointment.

after thinking about it a little more, i realized that..
it doesnt just give me shivers... it brings tears to my eyes as well.
but this is washed away with apathy.
an uncontrollable urge praising me when i don't check the box.
i dont choose the red pill nor the blue pill... i choose my own destiny.


...and that is why they hate me

Faith V Reason part 2

reiterating myself from last time... just as one may believe that reason is the right path, one may also reason that reason is the right path.

Faith V Reason

a lot of people say that faith lies at the very core of reason since we ultimately cannot know anything. We need faith to be reasonable.

but they do not understand that reason, just like faith, is a tool that helps us reach a set goal... it is not the goal itself.

the reason i use reason, is because it actually achieves something, unlike faith. it is practical.
faith has no practicality.

Quote 1: Music

"Music does not take me there, it brings me back."
S.N.

Obama

Change... hmm, north american union anyone?

No Sense of Direction

I do not know where I am going or where I am coming from. I am not really sure why I am here, to gain knowledge supposedly, but everything I learn seems so trivial. The world is falling apart and all I can do is sit here, and read. What will theory do to advance action? Nothing. I am now living proof of Hume's theory.

So I sit here and write about this predicament.

I try, barely, to get by in school... the diploma is nothing but a licence to speak and be heard... although I am not doing as well as I could be doing. A modest B- is all that I have been able to manage. At this rate, I will wind up in teaching I suppose... hopefully I will be able to move on to higher education though.

Now, its time to get back to my theories... maybe something will be worth it.

Theory 1: Man Made Machine

Evolution is evolving. Looking at the history of evolution, it is evident that evolution has increased its speed and efficiency. However, biology cannot keep up. Soon, the fastest man in the world will have no biological legs; only robotic ones. The speed at which evolution advances has increased so much that sooner or later, our brains will be the only biological entities within us. Outside of that, a metallic shield and a maze of machinery will separate us from nature. Efficiency will be the answer to everything. The only problem is, there is a chance that the efficiency of our machines will exceed that of our brains. One day, we will ask ourselves whether we can still call ourselves human beings and the answer will be clear to us then.


Man Made Machine by Contemplations © is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Canada License.

Excerpt 1: The Tale of the Slave by Robert Nozick

"The Tale of the Slave"
from Robert Nozick, Anarchy, State, and Utopia, pp. 290-292.


Consider the following sequence of cases, which we shall call the Tale of the Slave, and imagine it is about you.

1. There is a slave completely at the mercy of his brutal master's whims. He often is cruelly beaten, called out in the middle of the night, and so on.
2. The master is kindlier and beats the slave only for stated infractions of his rules (not fulfilling the work quota, and so on). He gives the slave some free time.
3. The master has a group of slaves, and he decides how things are to be allocated among them on nice grounds, taking into account their needs, merit, and so on.
4. The master allows his slaves four days on their own and requires them to work only three days a week on his land. The rest of the time is their own.
5. The master allows his slaves to go off and work in the city (or anywhere they wish) for wages. He requires only that they send back to him three-sevenths of their wages. He also retains the power to recall them to the plantation if some emergency threatens his land; and to raise or lower the three-sevenths amount required to be turned over to him. He further retains the right to restrict the slaves from participating in certain dangerous activities that threaten his financial return, for example, mountain climbing, cigarette smoking.
6. The master allows all of his 10,000 slaves, except you, to vote, and the joint decision is made by all of them. There is open discussion, and so forth, among them, and they have the power to determine to what uses to put whatever percentage of your (and their) earnings they decide to take; what activities legitimately may be forbidden to you, and so on.

Let us pause in this sequence of cases to take stock. If the master contracts this transfer of power so that he cannot withdraw it, you have a change of master. You now have 10,000 masters instead of just one; rather you have one 10,000-headed master. Perhaps the 10,000 even will be kindlier than the benevolent master in case 2. Still, they are your master. However, still more can be done. A kindly single master (as in case 2) might allow his slave(s) to speak up and try to persuade him to make a certain decision. The 10,000-headed monster can do this also.

7. Though still not having the vote, you are at liberty (and are given the right) to enter into the discussions of the 10,000, to try to persuade them to adopt various policies and to treat you and themselves in a certain way. They then go off to vote to decide upon policies covering the vast range of their powers.
8. In appreciation of your useful contributions to discussion, the 10,000 allow you to vote if they are deadlocked; they commit themselves to this procedure. After the discussion you mark your vote on a slip of paper, and they go off and vote. In the eventuality that they divide evenly on some issue, 5,000 for and 5,000 against, they look at your ballot and count it in. This has never yet happened; they have never yet had occasion to open your ballot. (A single master also might commit himself to letting his slave decide any issue concerning him about which he, the master, was absolutely indifferent.)
9. They throw your vote in with theirs. If they are exactly tied your vote carries the issue. Otherwise it makes no difference to the electoral outcome.

The question is: which transition from case 1 to case 9 made it no longer the tale of a slave?

Ramblings: 2

Resistence to Civil Government, a great essay.
I should be able live my life the way i want to live it.

I had freedom of speech before they gave it to me..

Ramblings: 1

I feel empty, like a great sea of emptiness flows through my brain, growing within my body; not a feeling of love or loneliness, but a feeling of intense, ignorance? I think thats what it is. Maybe.
Theres no time to fix the world anymore... Hopefully the human species can make it to mars before I die... that would be sweet... maybe 2060? I dont think I will live that long... I can only hope.
If only more people knew how to live life... maybe they could teach me.
If only more people knew about freedom.

A Series of Events 2: The Other Robbery.

Sitting at my table, with my attention elsewhere and my trusty cellphone snuggled in its 'scream' painted cover at my side, i looked into space.

little did i know my cellphone had been abducted.

now, im not one to give up on such a thing... looking around the table, rounding up friends to help me and, most trippily, watching a replay of everything i did on the camera.

unfortunately, we could hardly see anything... .

retracing my footsteps was my best option, but after a long mission, i was not able to reach my destination, my phone. 

hours later i sit here, reminiscing. how life is cruel.

running out of money, and now i lost my cellphone; my ONLY mode of communication.

the house phone is risky, i dont want some to know whats up.
i only used msn when i was younger.. now everyone has moved on to 'facebook' and im the only one left fighting the tide...

its my only option tho... if, of course, i want to stay in touch.

my other option would be just to go with the flow.. talking on the cell too much is bad for the brain anyway... right?

the final option? work.
work = money = new cell...
but its just not the same, ive gone through so much with that thing.

i have sent it a text message saying 'if you find this phone, please call back and we will make a deal; im not sure if thats exactly what it was but it sounds right.

hopefully, a message will return.

until then, I will be hard to reach... but maybe its the start of something new?

PN:

I have decided to carry on an art project i had in mind involving radiohead;
If i carry through with it, i will update this page.

Definition: Feelings and Human Emotions

An emotion is an involuntary and subjective reaction towards a given object or situation.

Reality?

Reality: A state of existence? A state of being real?

hmm..

When dreaming.. or tripping... you can have experiences that seem so real, but are not actually happening in reality. So, Can it be possible for dreams to be shared?

The mind can make anything real. If so, then when can we know that we are in reality?

What if, everything, including the dreams, is real? Or, what if nothing is real?

Are dreams dependent on the events within reality or are they totally independent of each other?

A new series of events has led me to come up with some conclusions... 
...I will post it at a later date... For now, sleep is a necessity. 

The Philosophy of Art and Music

When defining art it is helpful to ask where it comes from?

Is it a product of ones creativity and mind or a product of the culture it comes from?
In other words, does it come from ones nature or nurture?

Maybe, it is a personal view on the culture, so it is a form of expression.

Are there any other categories? 

Its possible that art is from the inside ones mind, a product of culture and a form of expression...
...it is part of the human condition, it is how we are. 

Art is a Romanticists point of view... so could it be that there is no logic involved?

I think of music as an extra dimension, one where, only through our ears, we can enter and process information from. It doesnt matter whether the Art comes from the mind, its culture, or an expression of somesort... it is a method, a way, to get to the information, whatever that information may be.

In other words, I think of art as the boat on a vacation. While the boat generates some pleasure, it is not the sole provider of it. Even though this is the case, its not just a form of expression.

Art and Creativity go hand in hand as well. Some are creative but not artistic, they are the ones who 'lack the boat'. Those who are artisitic but less creative are those who dont have a destination and sometimes, they dont even have a path or a direction... These people are usually the ones who find themselves recreating other peoples work... The composer, the portrate photographer, the realist painter etc. 

The creative ones are the ones who end up expressing themselves through the more unusual methods... but if the method is the same, their work isnt. Youtube is helping with this.

When one is both artistic and creative, amazing things happen. Creativity shines through a familiar means. The writer, the musician, the abstract painter. 

Changing Minds ... The Challenge

When I change my mind about something important its usually for a good reason. On the topic of religion, it took me months to switch from a theist to an atheist through debate... not to mention my agnosticism and pantheism in between.  

So now, after years of political persuasion, i am able to call myself an anarcho-capitalist with a clear and vivid definition of what that is. 

Other titles include...

[Free] Market Anarchist.

Extreme Libertarian. 

Individualist Anarchist.

It is a negative philosophy. I have found myself advocating it in class for about 2 years... before that, I was the complete opposite. A statist communist... although, much like Karl,  I believed that the state would dismantle itself. 

Because it is a negative philosophy, it not against any type of system... even fascism, communism or other forms of extremes... 
This crucial idea came to me about 4 months after my political conversion. It made me realize that the governmental system we live in now runs on anarchistic principles, proving its worth.

Forcing people to reject the use of force is contradictory.
Combine that with capitalism and its fascist, vice-versa and its communist. 

So how is it possible to change peoples minds? 

How can one agree with another?
They can:
A) Use force and make people do what one says with a gun or a threat.
or
B) Use Trade or Contract for goods or services to provide an incentive to agree.

In any other case, they have already agreed (C) or they will always disagree (D).
However there is also a method of debate, argument and persuasion - otherwise, logic (E).

More directly, how is it possible for people to agree to 'anarcho-capitalism'.

1. C
One barrier is ignorance. People simply do not know this option. For most people, statism is always the answer.
"The government should be doing something about it."
Spreading the knowledge is the first sollution and all people who fall under the category of C will agree. 

2. E
Now, that we have taken care of ignorance, what about the people who initially disagree?
The next group of people must be taken in by using the best method, logic, reason, science and debate. Ultimatly, the ones who are knowledgable in society will be taken in... giving incentive for those who are not as knowledgable to also accept it.
A moral argument is needed here.

3.  B
A vast majority of people will not fall under the second category... In the US about 80% of the population is religious... and many atheists are not even logical. These statistics may be wrong, Religion is very subjective and may change any second. 
An effeciancy argument is needed here. The masses will realize the economic power of an anarcho-capitalist society. 

4.  D
Finaly, those who still find themselves disagreeing will be in the minority by the time we get into this phase. It will still pose a problem that must be solved later in this post.

The biggest problem:
These same tools of persuasion can be used by the statist as well. Not only that, the statist has a fifth tool, the tool of force. The only tool an anarcho-capitalist has against that is the tool of self defense. Their tool of providing incentive is also a huge blow to the anarcho-capitalist movement because they can buy anyone out... any prof would inevitably agree to a life filled with money and security, it goes with the capitalist philosophy anyway. 

The last category for the statist to deal with is me, and others like me. Those who disagree.
Again, they can use force to deal with a minority such as ours... (not to mention governmental student loans).

So, this is the biggest [philosophical] problem I face today.
Is it possible that if I wait, the majority will become less ignorant and more willing overtime as history shows it has?
Or, will tyrants find a new way to control the masses as history has also shown (religion -> states)?

My only sollution is to try to convince the people of group E and help stop the spread of ignorance... but I must think of a better one.

A Series of Events 1: The Robbery.

After an evening of brain destruction, i had decided to go home walking. I had canceled the party at my home to get to another one. It was a long road home. Luckily, a man at York offered a ride and i hesitantly accepted. I told him that I was a student and he asked of what?
I said, philosophy.
He asked, who is your favorite philosopher.
I like to take on certain characters when I meet strangers, so my answer was indeed, Ayn Rand. We talked about her for a bit. He continued to recommend his own philosopher, Hakim, hakim sometihng. i will check later.

he dropped me off at shepperd and i thanked him. He was on his way to Guelph.
He was not formally a student, but he seemed like one.

On the way home I met some police.
There was a robbery in the area.
I hate the concept of police, but these guys, were not so bad.. i guess.
A quick ID check with an explanation is what i got.
Then some questions about where I was, who I was with and what I carried on me.
He saw the zig zags in my pocket, i told him they weren't mine.
As soon as i received my card i walked; I assumed i was free.
I didn't look back.

Now i sit and drink. Soon I will sleep.

Intro

Courier is my favorite font. I used to use 'book antiqua' but now it has changed.

I'm not a philosophy student. Rather, I am just a student. A student of ethics, politics, metaphysics, epistemology, education, language, math, physics and many other subjects.

This blog is to help me organize thoughts.. hopefully i will not give up on it soon.

As this is the 'intro' i will introduce myself.

I am a student and this is where i post my contemplations.

'contemplate,' its a very nice word. it may be my favorite word.
contemplate. my favorite word written with my favorite font.

Reason

I have decided i need to better organize my thoughts. The Pen and paper have been outdone. Ignore the spelling and grammar mistakes.. try to write without the backspace.

most of my writing will revolve around the contemplations of life, politics and philosophy..

autonomously yours, s.