Friday, September 23, 2016

Anarchism, Capitalism, Rule of Law

One feature of the typical contemporary polity that is antithetical to Individualism is the Rule of Law.  For, Law in these cases tends to be Universal, thereby abstracting from any individual distinctiveness.  Thus, the Archy opposed by varieties of Anarchism that are modes of Individualism is Law, e. g. government regulations of Capitalist activity. However, such cases do not enjoy Wolff's Kantian defense of Anarchism, since it applies only to autonomous conduct, which Capitalist Egoism is not.  Proof of the latter is as follows: autonomous conduct is conduct determined by Pure Practical Reason; conduct determined by Pure Practical Reason is that the maxim of which can be a universal law; the maxim of Capitalist Egoism is 'optimize profit'; but, that maxim will self-destruct as a universal law, since every profit entails some loss; therefore, Capitalist Egoism is heteronomous behavior.  Or, more plainly, such Egoism is instinctive, with respect to which Reason is only instrumental.

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