[mark_l_watson]

I liked Zero to One, read it twice. I am also a Libertarian (I consider myself to be a very liberal Libertarian, for what’s that is worth).

My complaint about Thiel is that I found it difficult to find much charitable giving on his part. He funds Thiel College, but what else? It is his right to do what he wants, if it is legal, but who wouldn’t feed hundreds of thousands of starving people or many more, etc. if they had lots of surplus cash. Besides being the only political “peace party” of any size in the US, my take on Libertarianism is to respect personal freedom, respect all people who work to support themselves and their families, and to have a strong social consciousness to support making the world as good a place to live in as possible.

[HKH2]

> who wouldn’t feed hundreds of thousands of starving people or many more, etc. if they had lots of surplus cash[?]

There are downsides to donating food. One of them is that it damages local farming; another is that it brings more dependent people into the world, duplicating the problem.

[mark_l_watson]

My wife and my favorite charity is the Heffer Project that sets families up with, for example, a breeding group of chickens to make money selling eggs and a protein source for their families. Similar projects with larger animals.

A friend and his wife used to (my friend died in a traffic accident) collect money and once a year make a huge buy of practical farming tools, appropriate types of seeds, etc., charter a cargo flight, and deliver to somewhere where their research showed a need and where they were able to make local contacts.

So, I totally understand your point but there are options.

[HKH2]

Thanks for the response.

How do you guarantee such systems don't fall into disuse?

[CRConrad]

> There are downsides to donating food. One of them is that it damages local farming

It's not impossible to donate foodstuffs that the donor buys from local farmers, is it?

[HKH2]

I doubt that would work at scale.

[CRConrad]

Who says it has to? A lot of small scales add up to big scale.

[hwers]

> He funds Thiel College

Huh? I've never heard of this. Searching doesn't give any good results. Could you direct me to somewhere to read more about this?

[hwers]

Did you mean the Thiel Fellowship?

[phlipski]

I like to think of myself as a "pragmatic libertarian". My problem with true Libertarianism can be summarized by the idea of fully private roads. There would be no public land - it's all privatized and therefore every road is a toll road. That's a hellscape I can't imagine ever working smoothly. Some collective society problems are best solved via government - as messy as that is. I think America's response to this current pandemic is not exactly a ringing endorsement of libertarianism. Now if you want to quibble and say, "well lots of folks aren't practicing the true responsibility that libertarianism requires" - I agree! And until our society can show that they can exhibit true personal responsibility than I don't want to see what true libertarianism would bring. I once read someone summarizing modern day libertarianism as "anarchy for the rich" - and that's how I've come to see it.

So I say that because while I somewhat understand and respect Thiel's idea's. His vision of America is not one I care to live in at this time. And I wonder if in 100 years will we look back and say, "Thiel was a net positive influence on the human condition and society?" At this rate I'd say no.

[mark_l_watson]

Interesting take on how the future might judge Thiel. Definitely there is a place for government, so as you say there is a sort-of Buddhist middle path that mixes personal responsibility and the need for some government services.