Monday, April 24, 2006

Forbes Writer Dispassionately Considers Duels to Death

It is said that egalitarianism killed off the Aristocratic practice of dueling. Looks like there's a zombie on the loose:

Should we encourage fights to the death? Perhaps. Allowing willing participants to risk life and limb should be accepted if it is the informed decision of all participants. There's a legal principle called volenti non fit injuria—"to a willing person, no injury is done." It holds true for athletes as well. If a person wants to risk death in the pursuit of fame, they should be allowed to do so.
-David M. Ewatt, Bread and Circuses


His Latin citation of the principle seems skewed; "volenti non fit iniuria" was only used in lawsuits seeking redress, not as a reason for decriminalizing "victimless" crimes. Libertarianism at its most vacuous and foolishly consistent.

If you google him, you'll find he's a baby-face in an expensive suit. He's likely never been in a fight in his life and still thinks Holden Caulfield's denunciations of phoniness have intellectual heft. His piece will certainly diminish the reputation of Forbes magazine in what remains of the civilized world.

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