On 2/22/2003 3:01:50 PM, Nathan Snyder wrote:<
br>
>I disagree on a minor point
>with the diagram Palmer lays
>out on the top of pg. 248. He
>succinctly says "freedom
>through" and goes on to say
>that an educational system or
>highway system enables us the
>freedom to learn and travel. I
>think he should have finished
>the sentence and said "enables
>the 'convenience'" Those items
>do not offer up freedom;
>rather they offer up
>convenient ends

Perhaps what Palmer should have said is they << br> br>
offer us MORE freedom than the alternatives. Or,


one could say things like I have the freedom to get


to LCC from Cottage grove at a time of my
< br> choosing in half an hour's time through an
< br> automobile and highways". I dont' have that
< br> particular freedom with regard to the bus or
bicycle or walking.
>Second topic would be at the
>end of the ultimate concept of
>freedom on pg. 249. I maintain
>the idea that freedom is a
>vague term


Palmer would agree with this--this is why he sets

out distinctions between all the different sense of

freedoms, both metaphysical and practical.
< br>
, and in that,
>cannot and should not be
>defended. Either one has
>absolute freedom, such as that
>of the underground man, or no
>freedom at all.


It seems that you could have some sense of
freedom but not others. For example, in the
handout I suggested people migh enjoy political
freedom in the United States but not possess
freedom in the libertarian sense.


Conclusively, it
>should be easy to see how an
>entity such as the military
>cannot provide and then
>attempt to defend freedom.
>What they really defend (imo
>of course) is the way of life
>that we have as Americans. A
>system of Western
>civilization...The military cannot
>defend our right to choose,
>nor can it defend to the
>freedom to choose. We choose
>regardless and that freedom is
>innate, not a hand-me-down
>from the State.

Again, I think the distinction between
metaphysical and practical freedom is useful
here. The military (in theory, if you like) defends <
br> the political freedom of the US (perhaps other countries as well)
and in other countries it constrains political
freedom, e.g. Iraq.

Prof. Borrowdale
borrowdalej@lanecc.edu