The logic of power

The fundamental argument for a liberal society is that without a commitment to liberty, fundamentally, all governments and all those with power use every justification/rationalization to have, keep, and use power as they please. Any conceivable argument for good that can be done for others can be used to justify/rationalize power. Power can be rationalized without limits as long as people believe that power and force is responsible for the good choices they make in life. And that will be so as long as people attribute their good choices or better choices by others to power and the ability of others to force their choices.

As long as people believe that, there is no limit to how power can be rationalized.

Hope for humanity lies in our capacity to take credit for the good we do in the world and responsibility for the bad we do in it. And that world will both be created by a society more committed to that kind of responsibility and actualized as we create societies free enough that people more readily take such responsibility.

Love,
Ben