So philosopher Mark Kingwell [Re: Burgled in the World’s Best Country, National Post, July 12, 2000] believes that the cause of social ills like “crime and riots and beggars on the street” is the envy created by people experiencing poverty? Leaving aside all the anti-business, anti-productivity policies of our socialistic governments that sustain poverty, let’s analyze Kingwell’s underlying philosophy.
In a free society one can avoid poverty by developing one’s mind and acquiring productive skills. Or, one can overcome poverty by seeking out employment for the skills one has and continuously improving one’s skills.
But these non-criminal options presuppose that man possesses reason and volition. Implicit in Kingwell’s philosophy is the view that man is a mindless slave to his emotions. If Paul earns something Peter doesn’t have, Peter is helplessly driven by envy to rob Paul.
The leftist/Liberal solution?
Use the government to rob Peter (i.e., the responsible, hardworking Canadian taxpayer) to appease Paul’s envy. After all, nobody is responsible for their poverty, let alone for their wealth. It’s a perfect illustration how bad philosophy begets unjust, destructive policies.
Anyone truly concerned with today’s social ills need look no further than at the intellectual poison spewing from our so-called intellectuals.
