Technically, we give up some of our rights to the state; the right to enter into a state of war, for example. There are notable exceptions to this but it's really dependent on community norms in those cases.
>> Technically, we give up some of our rights to the state; the right to enter into a state of war, for example
No one ever asked me, and no one ever asked you either. Is it reasonable to think you've agreed to "give up" some of your rights when no one ever asked you? What about taxes? Can you be considered to have consented to taxation when no one ever asked you, and when you're taxed by force anyway - it's as if no one wanted to be taxed!
Not only that, but can you give up your rights?
Can you give up your right to own property? -How would that work? Would you solemnly swear never to have any belongings anymore? Never to hold anything in your possession? Never to oppose anyone taking something from you?
Yes, it is totally reasonable to have given up your rights when no-one ever asked you. But maybe you made it explicit anyway; have you ever said the pledge of allegiance?
No, you cannot give up your right to property, because you own your person.
>> Yes, it is totally reasonable to have given up your rights when no-one ever asked you.
Well, I guess you'll start sending say, 15% of all your income my way then? I never asked you, you never consented, but this "contract" is obviously binding anyway! That's how this stuff works, right? .. or do I need to have some kind of badge, wig, or uniform to make this "agreement" binding?
Naturally, I'll show up at your door and take my "fair share" by force, if necessary.
>> No, you cannot give up your right to property, because you own your person.
But the thing is, you did consent to be a part of your community and thus bound by the social contract. If you don't like it, that's fine, commit a felony. It's just that by doing something like that, you will no longer possess all the rights and protections a normal citizen does. But you'll have all your rights.
>> But the thing is, you did consent to be a part of your community and thus bound by the social contract.
Nope. Never asked. Never consented. Not. Binding.
This is exactly what I tried to illuminate earlier. It simply makes no sense to think that A and B can, among themselves, whip up a "contract" that binds C - let alone that A alone can impose a binding "contract" on B without B ever being aware of it.
Of course, I'm bound by the fact that if I don't pay taxes, violence will be inflicted on me. In fact, no one wants to pay taxes, but everyone knows that's how it works: don't pay --> go to jail. The idea of "the social contract" is meant to mask this reality of extortion on the ultimate scale.
>> If you don't like it, that's fine, commit a felony
Ooooh.. a felony! Sounds scary, doesn't it?
>> It's just that by doing something like that, you will no longer possess all the rights and protections a normal citizen does. But you'll have all your rights.
So I won't have all the rights but I will have all my rights, huh? How does that work?
You don't necessarily have to be asked to consent to something. Your not objecting to action for a certain period of time and in specific circumstances can be read as consent.
The social contract is not about A and B binding C to something. It's a contract between you and your community. What this actually means varies, but in the US it's pretty explicit.
Have you ever voted? If so, you've consented to being a part of this contract, as you even helped create its terms.
More specifically, the communal rights you are accorded will be removed, but your personal rights will be restored. You'll once more be your own sovereign. This means that you can do whatever you want, though you will have to bear the brunt of the consequences your actions bring.
No one ever asked me, and no one ever asked you either. Is it reasonable to think you've agreed to "give up" some of your rights when no one ever asked you? What about taxes? Can you be considered to have consented to taxation when no one ever asked you, and when you're taxed by force anyway - it's as if no one wanted to be taxed!
Not only that, but can you give up your rights?
Can you give up your right to own property? -How would that work? Would you solemnly swear never to have any belongings anymore? Never to hold anything in your possession? Never to oppose anyone taking something from you?