Comments on: Ought Implies Can

By: Centro Adam Smith

Centro Adam Smith — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:36:16 +0000

Una traducción al español de este artículo fue publicada, con la debida autorización de FEE, en la Revista Digital Orden Espontáneo editada por el Centro Adam Smith perteneciente a la Fundación Libertad (Rosario, Argentina). http://centroadamsmith.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/oe7dic.pdf

Aquí pueden ver los restantes números de la revista: http://centroadamsmith.wordpress.com/revista-digital-orden-espontaneo/

Saludos.

By: David Hillary

David Hillary — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 11:18:08 +0000

Steve, this is very well argued and has a lot of force, but it seems to open a the question of scope. For example, does inability to discharge an obligation void the obligation? Does that mean that insolvent debtors no longer ought to pay their debts? I guess that is exactly what insolvency law does: it limits the ought to the can.

Does it mean compulsion is always an excuse?

Also there is the means-ends rationality issue. Before we can decide if a means is rational in attaining an end, we have to accept the end. For example if gun control was a rational means of reducing violence, would it justify gun control? Or if conscription (drafting people into the armed forces) were effective in defending the country would it justify it?

By: Steve Horwitz on Health Care: Ought Implies Can « Daniel Joseph Smith

Steve Horwitz on Health Care: Ought Implies Can « Daniel Joseph Smith — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:59:16 +0000

[...] Steve Horwitz on Health Care: Ought Implies Can By Daniel J. Smith http://www.thefreemanonline.org/featured/ought-implies-can/ [...]

By: Can we do what we “ought” to do? : Minor Thoughts

Can we do what we “ought” to do? : Minor Thoughts — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:11:48 +0000

[...] I just read a pretty good essay over at The Freeman, discussing the difference between what we can do and what we ought to do. Too often, people talk about what we ought to do before even considering if we can do it. The essay, appropriately enough is Ought Implies Can. [...]

By: Shakes

Shakes — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:58:46 +0000

I loved the article.

It is all about the unintended consequences.

By: Cokehead

Cokehead — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 05:26:13 +0000

The article starts with a strawman, viciously attacks said strawman, and then insults the strawman\\\’s perception on issues, using nonsensical metaphores and more philosophy than anything practical..

The problem, of course, is that it\\\’s all a strawman.