CANTO XVII - The Silver Rule
Most of these difficulties are avoided by the Golden Rule in
its negative form (which also appears to be historically much
older): "Do not do unto others," as Confucius put it, "what
you would not wish others to do unto you." This is certainly
a good practical rule of thumb both in ethics and in law. Its
political utility is well explained...
Henry Hazlitt (economic journalist, 1894-1993)
The Foundations of Morality (book, 1964)
Silver rules across brassy backs of silvery chairs
Else, blacken straps to backs, forcing to swear
While privacy tears by public rape led by their kings
Then liberty's ethic cape tossed like a leprous thing
By the rules golden, beholden by imposing others
Presupposing as tho' our fuckin' omni-mothers
Motioning, seconding, by right hand, then by left
Lunging ahead, funding instead, by legal theft
Marching broadly, longingly, beyond all borders
Droning by mortars upon bairns per distant orders
While astounding yarns of resounding patriotism
Muscles the octo-arms of superfluous nationalism
O the hustled then rustled, blame citizenry sublime
Minds refined, mass aligned by the 'entitled' lines
Firstly unread, secondly misled, thirdly breastfed
Fourthly forced fed by shreds of subsidized bread
Thus fifth, the paradigm shift, towards eventual drift
More so, rift betwixt elites' gifts and riffraff's thrift
For now, to come, and since initially succumbed
“Thou eat this, drink not that, worship in plumb
Else be hung, or strung under uniformity’s stones”
Rather, as per W. Rogers, individuals singly honed
For if coerced by law and force, pro Golden Rule
Equally to wit, to commit to err, con Silver Rule
The purpose of law, and the chief function of the state, should
be to maximize liberty and to minimize coercion... Yet though
liberty is beyond doubt an end-in-itself, it is also of the highest
value, to repeat, as a means to most of our other ends. We can
pursue not only our economic but our intellectual and spiritual
goals only if we are free to do so.
Henry Hazlitt (economic journalist, 1894-1993)
The Foundations of Morality (book, 1964)
Most of these difficulties are avoided by the Golden Rule in
its negative form (which also appears to be historically much
older): "Do not do unto others," as Confucius put it, "what
you would not wish others to do unto you." This is certainly
a good practical rule of thumb both in ethics and in law. Its
political utility is well explained...
Henry Hazlitt (economic journalist, 1894-1993)
The Foundations of Morality (book, 1964)
Silver rules across brassy backs of silvery chairs
Else, blacken straps to backs, forcing to swear
While privacy tears by public rape led by their kings
Then liberty's ethic cape tossed like a leprous thing
By the rules golden, beholden by imposing others
Presupposing as tho' our fuckin' omni-mothers
Motioning, seconding, by right hand, then by left
Lunging ahead, funding instead, by legal theft
Marching broadly, longingly, beyond all borders
Droning by mortars upon bairns per distant orders
While astounding yarns of resounding patriotism
Muscles the octo-arms of superfluous nationalism
O the hustled then rustled, blame citizenry sublime
Minds refined, mass aligned by the 'entitled' lines
Firstly unread, secondly misled, thirdly breastfed
Fourthly forced fed by shreds of subsidized bread
Thus fifth, the paradigm shift, towards eventual drift
More so, rift betwixt elites' gifts and riffraff's thrift
For now, to come, and since initially succumbed
“Thou eat this, drink not that, worship in plumb
Else be hung, or strung under uniformity’s stones”
Rather, as per W. Rogers, individuals singly honed
For if coerced by law and force, pro Golden Rule
Equally to wit, to commit to err, con Silver Rule
The purpose of law, and the chief function of the state, should
be to maximize liberty and to minimize coercion... Yet though
liberty is beyond doubt an end-in-itself, it is also of the highest
value, to repeat, as a means to most of our other ends. We can
pursue not only our economic but our intellectual and spiritual
goals only if we are free to do so.
Henry Hazlitt (economic journalist, 1894-1993)
The Foundations of Morality (book, 1964)
---
Come let us Reason. Peace is always a Choice.
Copyright © 2016-2017 by D.C. Quillan Stone
No comments:
Post a Comment