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The Forum > Article Comments > Deficit deeper than economy > Comments

Deficit deeper than economy : Comments

By Richard Eckersley, published 4/10/2013

The relationship between the moral and economic deficit in Australia reflects the public's disquiet.

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Saltpetre
"Can governments, states and nations act 'morally' (including ethically, justly, 'legally', responsibly, accountably, and genuinely in the long-term common interest of their constituencies and the 'global community' as a whole)? I believe so - and this, I believe, is the 'nub' of the article.
How such 'morality' may be pursued effectively, IS the question."

The question is how you can define morality in such a way as to justify the existence of government - except one limited to defend liberty and property - without contradicting yourself? That is the question.

I have never advocated "unconditional" liberty or property rights, but only ever liberty and property conditioned on, and limited by the equal right of all people to enjoy their liberty or property free of aggressive infringement by others.

But if you suppose the liberty and property are limited by some other principle, then you need to be able to say what that is.

And I have never seen anyone do it without contradicting themselves.

The problem is, if you assert that government is there to stand for some higher morality, then what is to stop government from aggressing against the person or property of others, from becoming itself the instrument of injustice?

So in the end, if you don't defend the principle of liberty or property, all you have is an open-ended claim to a right to arbitrary power - which is what Ludwig keeps defending - in other words, might is right, which is the opposite of morality, as well as the opposite of liberty.

But if I am wrong, then what is the principle that:
a) would define when liberty is excessive - other than infringing the person or property of others?, and
b) would delimit the legitimate powers of government from illegitimate excess or abuse of power?
Posted by Jardine K. Jardine, Thursday, 24 October 2013 4:41:07 PM
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