Bastiat’s *The Law* – Part 1

November 9, 2020 (Mon), 1st session

Reading Discussion, 1st Online Meeting

We started the meeting on time. Half the participants were familiar faces, and half were new. Perhaps thanks to the newcomers, the meeting began with a fresh and lively feeling.

Since some people were meeting for the first time, we each gave a brief introduction. People had joined from all over the country. It was something remarkable that was possible only because this was an online gathering. Most had been born and raised in Korea, but there was also someone who had come from China and become a naturalized citizen, and someone from North Korea as well. The age range was also diverse. Participants included young people in their early twenties as well as people around the same age as my mother.

What had brought us together? The introductions were brief, but through them one common thread emerged.

“Freedom,” “the discovery of the individual”

Even if some were not yet able to fully express its true meaning in words, or were still awkward in doing so, they seemed to already know its value with their whole being. So I thought that what had brought us together late on a Monday evening was perhaps the desire to express that value more clearly, and to convey it better to our families and friends as well.

Since Bastiat’s The Law was published a very long time ago, it is no longer under copyright. So, Mori explained, there are many different versions of the book. Most of those who had bought a copy this time had the edition published by the Center for Free Enterprise (CFE). In that edition, the first part is the “Preface to the English Edition.” The version Mori had, on the other hand, included a “Translator’s Note.”

As we read both sections, some welcome names came up.

“Hayek,” “Mises,” “Rothbard”...

As I studied liberalism, these thinkers had gradually become more familiar to me, and here they were lavishly praising “Bastiat.” This was my first encounter with someone who had lived almost 200 years ago. I had encountered Hayek through The Road to Serfdom, written 80 years ago, and through him I was introduced to the much-praised Bastiat. It felt like a very special kind of pleasure.

At the same time, I also felt some regret that I had not encountered him sooner. Along with that came discussion of why we had never really had the chance to properly study liberalism. There was also concern over whether education on liberal thought is being properly conducted even now.

Yeonsil spoke of her concern that while the Swiss had rejected basic income of their own accord, why were we trying to accept it? This led into concern over whether there might be some problem with our national character or ethnic character. In response, Mori and Yuron explained as follows.

“National character” and “ethnic character” are useful words for arousing positive or negative emotions about a group. But South and North Korea on the Korean Peninsula, as well as some people to the north of it, belong to the same ethnicity. The Chinese people of Hong Kong and the ethnic Chinese who make up the majority in Singapore are also of the same people. The conclusion is that the circumstances and conditions they face are far more important.

Yuron added that talking in terms of ethnicity is a eugenic way of thinking, and that such judgments arise from not really knowing much about the matter. He also explained that human beings are, by nature, creatures who cannot survive without the help of others from the moment they are born, and so are basically socialists at first.

There is no need for us to feel ashamed. In fact, our country’s rapid growth under a liberal system was one of the main reasons many communist countries abandoned that system. We nodded along when Mori explained that our country is an unparalleled example to the world of how the manifestation of liberalism can transform a nation.

The conversation on education continued. Mori talked about lectures and book concerts he had attended. Even at book concerts, no one had read the book in advance. And no one shared their own thoughts. People would listen to the lecture and leave as though the speaker’s ideas had become their own. He found that unfortunate. That, he said, was why he started a reading group.

When many small groups are formed and people each speak for themselves within them, a variety of opinions emerges. And those opinions can then meet within a larger current. In fact, this is something that should connect to local autonomy. Mori explained that the Swiss were able to reject basic income not because their national character is superior, but because theirs is a small country and they can immediately feel that national income comes out of their own pocket or their neighbor’s pocket.

It occurred to me that in Korea as well, if basic income were discussed in such a way that each local government had to secure its own funding, the issue of distributing basic income might naturally resolve itself. I may easily accept benefits coming from some anonymous person I do not know, without much guilt or emotion, but I would surely feel much greater resistance toward taking from people close to me.

We were also able to discuss the idea that those who pursue statism would likely try to make the public accept expropriation without resistance by carrying it out under the cover of anonymity.

I remember the first time I met Mori. It was not at a reading group; it was simply a time when the three of us, including Yuron, talked online for the first time about various things. That was the first time I heard Mori emphasize local autonomy. At the time, I did not really understand the context in which he was saying it, and since I hardly had any concept of local autonomy itself, I simply remembered it as an unusual thing to say.

But now I understand more and more what Mori meant about the importance of local autonomy. At present, it seems there is no way to protect freedom without the framework of the state, and at the same time, I have gradually come to think that “local autonomy” is essential to effectively limit state power and prevent it from turning collectivist.

Suyeon shared that when she lived in North Korea, her main concern had simply been solving the physical problem of getting enough to eat, but after coming to South Korea, she found many more things difficult on a psychological level. Mori had a brilliant response to this.

“Suyeon, that’s because you yourself have become a ‘king.’ In a liberal democracy, each individual is a ‘king’ who must decide and take responsibility for his or her own life.”

That brought out a big laugh. It was absolutely true.

“The essence of the ‘individualist’ position is to recognize the individual as the ultimate judge of his own ends, and to believe that as far as possible his own views ought to govern his actions.” — Friedrich Hayek, The Road to Serfdom (Center for Free Enterprise (CFE), 2019)

This is a passage on the essence of “individualism” from Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom, which I am currently reading. The one word that explains it is “king.” In fact, although the “kings” of history may outwardly seem to have had everything and to have lived enviable lives, I think that, aside from a few exceptions, most kings lived with countless worries and decisions to make. In many cases, they must have had to make numerous decisions on which their very lives depended.

To play the role of such a “king,” whether wholly or partially, is perhaps what life in today’s liberal democratic system really means for each individual.

Those who live as “slaves” do not yet know what it means to live as a “king.” It is somewhat like not perceiving “the Matrix” before taking the “red pill” in the film The Matrix. Only a small number of people can vaguely sense its reality. Once they have taken the “red pill” (once they choose to become a “king”), they do not return to “the Matrix.” And they want to help others who long for it to take the “red pill” as well, or to become “kings.” Of course, just as in the film, there are also those who want to return to the life of a “slave,” because for some people the weight of being the “king” of oneself may be too heavy to bear.

We read up to the “Broken Window” section on page 19. Through the story of the broken window, the book presents a simple example that easily shatters the logic of protectionists. The title of Chapter 1 is “That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen.” While socialists focus only on what is visible, liberals also pay attention to “what is not seen.”

What was interesting was that later on socialists borrow and make use of “what is not seen” as well. Mori’s remark that liberals and socialists are engaged in a never-ending game of tag was amusing.

As we wrapped up,

Mori: I have noticed that ethnic Koreans from China and North Korean defectors have become much more integrated into South Korean society over the past 10 years. Perhaps people who speak the same language and share the same culture, yet were raised in very different environments, coming together in one place may allow us to find—before other countries do—a path forward as an alternative to the global trend toward collectivization and statism.

Yuron: He concluded by saying that the process of trying to speak with one another is truly important. Through that process, people can refine what they themselves want and think in a more precise way. And through one another’s feedback, they can find better solutions and each individual can develop further.

One thing I personally find interesting about studying liberalism is that it makes my mind feel refreshed and clear. I think this is probably because my own thinking about the grounds for judgment is gradually becoming more organized. In the teachings of Jesus and the Buddha from about 2,000 years ago, there is surely the truth that “each individual is precious and valuable.” With the grand thought that perhaps “liberalism” is one way of learning how to approach this truth, I will end this reflection here.

If you would like to participate in the online reading group every Monday evening, we invite you to join the open chat room at the link below.

https://open.kakao.com/o/gX3OIqtb

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Original title: 바스티아 <법>-1차

Author: Jayujuui Ipmun Dokseotoronmoim

Date: 2020-11-09

Source: https://www.cfe.org/bbs/bbsDetail.php?cid=reading01&pn=8&idx=23229