Comments on: The Randian Vote http://aaeblog.com/2006/11/06/the-randian-vote/ "Austro" as in Rothbard and Wittgenstein, "Athenian" as in Aristotle and smashing-the-plutocracy. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 05:00:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: John T. Kennedy http://aaeblog.com/2006/11/06/the-randian-vote/comment-page-1/#comment-391 John T. Kennedy Sun, 26 Nov 2006 14:50:31 +0000 http://praxeology.net/blog/2006/11/06/the-randian-vote/#comment-391 While I find many articles about Nall's cleavage I can't verify that she got any votes at all. What purpose do you think your vote for her served? While I find many articles about Nall’s cleavage I can’t verify that she got any votes at all.

What purpose do you think your vote for her served?

]]> By: John T. Kennedy http://aaeblog.com/2006/11/06/the-randian-vote/comment-page-1/#comment-298 John T. Kennedy Wed, 08 Nov 2006 13:32:17 +0000 http://praxeology.net/blog/2006/11/06/the-randian-vote/#comment-298 Roderick, I can't even find your candidates in the returns this morning. Any idea how well they did? Roderick,

I can’t even find your candidates in the returns this morning. Any idea how well they did?

]]> By: Richard Simões http://aaeblog.com/2006/11/06/the-randian-vote/comment-page-1/#comment-287 Richard Simões Tue, 07 Nov 2006 05:42:29 +0000 http://praxeology.net/blog/2006/11/06/the-randian-vote/#comment-287 Wow, ARIers indirectly calling each other irrational? Don't they usually huddle for a common line before they publish on the Internet? Wow, ARIers indirectly calling each other irrational? Don’t they usually huddle for a common line before they publish on the Internet?

]]> By: Administrator http://aaeblog.com/2006/11/06/the-randian-vote/comment-page-1/#comment-280 Administrator Mon, 06 Nov 2006 22:54:14 +0000 http://praxeology.net/blog/2006/11/06/the-randian-vote/#comment-280 I say a bit in reply to this <a href="http://praxeology.net/blog/2006/11/06/in-defense-of-voting-sort-of" rel="nofollow">here</a>. I say a bit in reply to this here.

]]> By: John T. Kennedy http://aaeblog.com/2006/11/06/the-randian-vote/comment-page-1/#comment-278 John T. Kennedy Mon, 06 Nov 2006 21:50:10 +0000 http://praxeology.net/blog/2006/11/06/the-randian-vote/#comment-278 That argument would have some force if the expressive power of your vote were equal to the expressive power of your writing. But that's not remotely true, the expressive power of your vote is negligible. It's unlikely that anyone will even know for sure who you voted for. Surely you feel that your writing on the web expresses considerably more than whatever is expressed by the difference between the 1,768 votes your candidate will get if you vote and the 1,767 votes he'll get if you don't. Do you really suppose the power of Glenn Reynolds' blog and the power of his vote are even remotely comparable? The difference in leverage between the two actions is so overwhelming that it would clearly be counter-productive to waste time voting when that time could be better employed improving your next blog entry. That argument would have some force if the expressive power of your vote were equal to the expressive power of your writing. But that’s not remotely true, the expressive power of your vote is negligible. It’s unlikely that anyone will even know for sure who you voted for.

Surely you feel that your writing on the web expresses considerably more than whatever is expressed by the difference between the 1,768 votes your candidate will get if you vote and the 1,767 votes he’ll get if you don’t.

Do you really suppose the power of Glenn Reynolds’ blog and the power of his vote are even remotely comparable?

The difference in leverage between the two actions is so overwhelming that it would clearly be counter-productive to waste time voting when that time could be better employed improving your next blog entry.

]]> By: Administrator http://aaeblog.com/2006/11/06/the-randian-vote/comment-page-1/#comment-276 Administrator Mon, 06 Nov 2006 21:00:12 +0000 http://praxeology.net/blog/2006/11/06/the-randian-vote/#comment-276 Because if that were a good argument against voting, it would be an equally good argument against contributing to any cooperative effort whose success depends on other people's cooperating also. And so, for example, it would be an equally good argument against being a libertarian blogger -- since no <i>one</i> libertarian blogger is likely to make <i>the</i> difference between whether libertarianism triumphs or not. Because if that were a good argument against voting, it would be an equally good argument against contributing to any cooperative effort whose success depends on other people’s cooperating also. And so, for example, it would be an equally good argument against being a libertarian blogger — since no one libertarian blogger is likely to make the difference between whether libertarianism triumphs or not.

]]> By: John T. Kennedy http://aaeblog.com/2006/11/06/the-randian-vote/comment-page-1/#comment-274 John T. Kennedy Mon, 06 Nov 2006 20:12:19 +0000 http://praxeology.net/blog/2006/11/06/the-randian-vote/#comment-274 Why vote when your vote won't matter? You're going to get precisely the same political return regardless of who you vote for, or even if you don't vote. Why to otherwise reasonable-seeming people treat their vote as a magic talisman? Why vote when your vote won’t matter? You’re going to get precisely the same political return regardless of who you vote for, or even if you don’t vote.

Why to otherwise reasonable-seeming people treat their vote as a magic talisman?

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