PrintJanuary 30, 2013
The Lupine Socialist Dream
"A society of sheep begets a government of wolves." -- Bertrand de Jouvenel
In his short but profound work, The Ethics of Redistribution, the 20th Century French Philosopher Bertrand de Jouvenel uncovered the ontological core of collectivism's ideological precepts. In the process, he succeeded in ripping off the mask of altruism that accompanies all economic structures that ultimately infringe upon human initiative and freedom in service to a "benevolent and promethean" reordering of human affairs. On the surface, it appears that confiscatory taxation and the distribution of its proceeds are consistent with a theory of justice that elevates "fairness" and demonizes the inequalities that arise from unfettered markets. Yet Jouvenel, with stunning clarity, draws our attention to the true locus of intent that a systematic revolution of economics portends for societies that place their faith in collectivist schemes. Thus, he writes:
The more one considers the matter, the clearer it...(Read Full Article)
