[FoRK] Riddle me this...

[Jeff Bone]

On Dec 10, 2007, at 3:46 PM, Russell Turpin wrote:

>
>
>
> Jeff Bone:
>> ..it's not at all reasonable to equate libertarianism with religion.
>> .. There's a difference, of course, between pronouncements about
>> religion and pronouncements about economics / politics. The former
>> relies on faith: belief in the absence of, or even despite,
>> evidence. Markets and economic policies of course have *real world
>> consequences* and are *subject to measurement.*
>
> It seems to me you're playing a bit loose with the difference between
> the normative and the positive. A libertarian isn't merely someone
> who holds certain views on how aspects of social systems do in fact
> behave, but one who advocates certain ethical or political positions.
> They might point to some alleged facts in so doing. But those alleged
> facts, whether accurate or not, cannot imply libertarianism.

You are indeed correct, though I'm merely propagating the error.   
"Libertarian" and "free-marketeer" aren't the same thing, either.

jb