Something I've been trying to put a finger on....

[nancylebov]

In one's imagination, anything can lead to anything else: Allowing people to skip church can lead to indolence; letting women drive can lead to sexual licentiousness. In a free society, one cannot empower the government to outlaw any behavior that offends someone just because the offendee can pull a hypothetical future injury out of the air.

Link thanks to james_nicoll.

Comments

[redbird]

"Sorry, this url contains an invalid document id. Please check your url or click Back and try again."

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

Thanks for letting me know. It's fixed.

[stevemb.livejournal.com]

That's why I treat third-party injury justifications for restrictive rules the same way I treat claims of supernatural phenomena (i.e. set the standard-of-evidence bar very high).

[solri.livejournal.com]

Thanks for passing on the link. It was a good read: Pinker in fighting form.

TRUTH!

[skipernicus.livejournal.com]

Every woman that I have ever had premarital relations with also was the holder of a valid drivers license. And I've seen plenty of people relax on Sundays - people who weren't in church.

We have to outlaw everything to prevent something else from happening!