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| This page contains all of the posts and discussion on MemeStreams referencing the following web page: The Fall of the Libertarians | Francis Fukuyama in WSJ. You can find discussions on MemeStreams as you surf the web, even if you aren't a MemeStreams member, using the Threads Bookmarklet. |
| The Fall of the Libertarians | Francis Fukuyama in WSJ by Jeremy at 5:38 pm EDT, May 5, 2002 | |||
While the dividing line between liberalism and libertarianism is not always straightforward, libertarianism is a far more radical dogma whose limitations are becoming increasingly clear. The libertarian wing of the revolution overreached itself, and is now fighting rearguard actions on two fronts: foreign policy and biotechnology. [After the Gulf War,] libertarians saw no larger meaning in America's global role, no reason to promote democracy and freedom abroad. Sept. 11 ended this line of argument. The second area in which libertarians have overreached themselves is in biotechnology. ... there are reasons to be skeptical of arguments that say that genetic engineering is just another choice. ... Do we really know what it means to improve a child? We are at the beginning of a new phase of history where technology will give us power ... Few will find themselves indifferent to Fukuyama's latest op-ed piece for the Wall Street Journal ... | |||
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| OpinionJournal - Featured Article by Decius at 2:48 am EDT, May 6, 2002 | |||
While the dividing line between liberalism and libertarianism is not always straightforward, libertarianism is a far more radical dogma whose limitations are becoming increasingly clear. The libertarian wing of the revolution overreached itself, and is now fighting rearguard actions on two fronts: foreign policy and biotechnology... The second area in which libertarians have overreached themselves is in biotechnology. ... there are reasons to be skeptical of arguments that say that genetic engineering is just another choice. Fukuyama raises the specter of September 11th and of society with a genetically engineered class structure as scare tactics to justify the restriction not of the *practice* of genetic engineering, but of the *research* of genetic engineering, something he clearly walks right into with his mention of stem cell research. This *is* the Republican party trying to find a secular argument that allows them to regulate what people are allowed to *think* about. Do I think its wrong to abort a fetus because of it's sex? Of course I do. I wouldn't mind a law to that effect. It does not follow that research into genetic engineering should be banned. Knowing how is not the same as doing. Furthermore, Fukuyama is more then well aware that it is the distribution of knowledge that most greatly impacts people's relative position in society, and not their genetic makeup. What these people seek to do is place knowledge of biology in a safe that only they are entrusted to open. Fukuyama and Bill Joy are obviously more qualified to safely handle this knowledge then the rest of us. I'm sure they'll use this trust, once won, in the most benevolent manner possible. Yeah, right... | |||
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