Political ideals are like a hammer without any building materials. Mostly useless. Furthermore, is your focus on building houses or blacksmithing? One would require a framing hammer, the other a ball peen hammer. Choose your vocation, then acquire the building materials, then your hammer.
Books on political ideals are like hammers as well, and the knowledge upon which to apply them are the building materials. Choose your calling, then acquire the knowledge, and then select the political ideal which furthers that calling.
Thus, recommending books whose main focus is a political ideology is like recommending a hammer in the vacuum of any knowledge about the real world. Far more constructive (the metaphorical use of the word 'constructive' works well here) is to recommend or request books on real world issues that the world faces.
There is a definite imbalance here related to the book recommendations.
To further the analogy, I suspect that many libertarians here like to call themselves libertarians the way another likes to wear a costume. You too can buy a tool belt and fit a framing hammer into its loop and walk around feeling like a can do handyman. So go arm yourself with the latest book on libertarian thought, and walk about spouting the latest libertarian values - the ultimate rebel without a cause.
Of course, we all know what the term rebel without a cause means - it means you've got a political ideology, but no cause. Like I was saying, find a cause first.
Books on political ideals are like hammers as well, and the knowledge upon which to apply them are the building materials. Choose your calling, then acquire the knowledge, and then select the political ideal which furthers that calling.
Thus, recommending books whose main focus is a political ideology is like recommending a hammer in the vacuum of any knowledge about the real world. Far more constructive (the metaphorical use of the word 'constructive' works well here) is to recommend or request books on real world issues that the world faces.
There is a definite imbalance here related to the book recommendations.
To further the analogy, I suspect that many libertarians here like to call themselves libertarians the way another likes to wear a costume. You too can buy a tool belt and fit a framing hammer into its loop and walk around feeling like a can do handyman. So go arm yourself with the latest book on libertarian thought, and walk about spouting the latest libertarian values - the ultimate rebel without a cause.
Of course, we all know what the term rebel without a cause means - it means you've got a political ideology, but no cause. Like I was saying, find a cause first.
Find a cause first, then selectively choose books and mold your political ideology to fit your cause regardless of the facts, logic and truth. Sounds like a good plan.
I already have my causes. I want to pay less taxes to useless programs (like Social Security) and offensive ones (like foreign wars of aggression), I want to be able to make liquor in my backyard without getting arrested, I want my children to be able to sell lemonade to their neighbors in the park without getting harassed by police officers, I want the public to be able to video and audio record police officers (public servants) without facing 75 years of jail time, I want the internet to remain free, I want it to be easier for companies to grow and sell organic food without having to worry about FDA raids on their stores, I want the Federal Reserve abolished and I want a return to sound money (gold or silver backed currency) in my country.
