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> ... they're based on the self-evident fact that one owns his own will and is responsible for his own actions, and consequently the fruits of his labor. On the contrary, this is an extremely non obvious, loaded assumption. It is deemed true in many cases, such as in front of a court, but is then well known to be a judicial fiction. The worst problem with some people (particularly libertarians) is that they actually believe that this is the simple, unadulterated truth, which unfortunately isn't nearly as easy as this, and this will bring our civilisation to complete collapse under the oh-so-wonderful pursuit of our own individual self-interest, the same way its huge antlers doomed the gigaceros (for the individual male gigaceros, bigger antlers were always a net advantage against competitors in the "struggle for life", but they assured the species inability to adapt as a whole). Annoying as it is, this is again best explained with the famous joke: for every complex problem, there is a solution that is clear, simple, and wrong. |
Some actions have externalities and should be subject to pigouvian taxes to internalize the externality. Few people, including libertarians, dispute this point. Once harmful externalities are properly taxed/penalized, then it is no longer harmful for individuals to pursue their own self interest.
You are also correct that signalling (e.g., growing large antlers) generates harmful externalities. Thus, we should tax signalling activities such as obtaining a college degree, wearing a suit or writing in a moleskin.