Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Truth and Conspiracy

After actually listening to Tamar Yonah and Walter Block converse, I'm struck by how similar their conversation was to conversations I hear from various other quarters, such as different Ron Paul supporters, for instance. Tamar likes to lean into the conspiracy theories, while Walter is concerned primarily with the underlying principles.
The thing is, both Walter and Tamar are outside of the mainstream. The conversation is a little stilted because Walter wants to teach and Tamar wants some controversy. It makes me wonder how well could they (and so very many of us) cooperate in order to effect change? I don't intend to do any injustice to Tamar's position, because she is trying to put on a show after all, but I tend to think of it this way:

Walter: Looking for the truth in terms of principles.
Tamar: Looking for the truth in terms of who to blame, who is the criminal, etc...

So, their objectives trend together for a while, but there are elements of discord. If a principle tends to clear people of guilt, or a scapegoat muddles the application of a principle. The match isn't made in heaven, and it's noticeable because there is a quiet friction, but what can we do? It's worth a try.

No comments: