A more realistic example would be something like “In Defense of Taxation to Fund the Welfare State”—which would be different from “In Defense of Lying”, because even if I think that taxation to fund the welfare state is immoral, I don’t think that someone who holds the opposite position is likely to hold me at gunpoint and demand that I give money to a beggar, but if someone who thinks lying is okay to the degree that OP does, there is a real risk of them lying to me in personal life. More generally, advocating something bad in the abstract isn’t as bad as advocating something bad that I’m likely to experience personally.
even if I think that taxation to fund the welfare state is immoral, I don’t think that someone who holds the opposite position is likely to hold me at gunpoint and demand that I give money to a beggar
You should try not paying your taxes on the grounds that you don’t want to support the welfare state. If you persist, I’m quite sure at some point men with guns will show up at your doorstep.
Other than that he probably votes for people who pass laws telling you how much of your money will be taken “for the beggars” and who have no problems sending men with guns to enforce their commands.
He only has one vote out of the many necessary to send men with guns after me. Even if he changed his mind and voted against the welfare state, the probability that anything would change is minuscule. The expected harm from him voting for the welfare state is smaller than that of him sitting next to me after not showering for a couple of days.
But if the pool of voters were much smaller, I’d take a more negative view of his actions.
A more realistic example would be something like “In Defense of Taxation to Fund the Welfare State”—which would be different from “In Defense of Lying”, because even if I think that taxation to fund the welfare state is immoral, I don’t think that someone who holds the opposite position is likely to hold me at gunpoint and demand that I give money to a beggar, but if someone who thinks lying is okay to the degree that OP does, there is a real risk of them lying to me in personal life. More generally, advocating something bad in the abstract isn’t as bad as advocating something bad that I’m likely to experience personally.
You should try not paying your taxes on the grounds that you don’t want to support the welfare state. If you persist, I’m quite sure at some point men with guns will show up at your doorstep.
Yes, but my friend who is advocating for a welfare state will not be among them. I have nothing to fear from him.
Other than that he probably votes for people who pass laws telling you how much of your money will be taken “for the beggars” and who have no problems sending men with guns to enforce their commands.
He only has one vote out of the many necessary to send men with guns after me. Even if he changed his mind and voted against the welfare state, the probability that anything would change is minuscule. The expected harm from him voting for the welfare state is smaller than that of him sitting next to me after not showering for a couple of days.
But if the pool of voters were much smaller, I’d take a more negative view of his actions.
There’s still cash, right? Might have to change your line of work from bits to bricks too for that to work though.
There is, of course, cash, and the grey economy is not small. But it certainly has its limitations :-/