MORAL CHOICE

I am a libertarian, and as such I believe that people should have the legal freedom to do almost anything that doesn’t involve force or fraud. I am also an admirer of both Edmund Burke and Adam Smith, and as such believe there are many things that people can do but may not do—that is, do not have the freedom to do without reproach.

An eminent English judge a century ago, John Fletcher Moulton, put it nicely: “Between ‘can do’ and ‘may do’ ought to exist the whole realm which recognizes the sway of duty, fairness, sympathy, taste, and all the other things that make life beautiful and society possible.” He called this realm “obedience to the unenforceable,” and it is the passing of that realm that has led to the disuse of vulgar, unseemly, and dishonorable.

Charles Murray, The Curmudgeon's Guide to Getting Ahead: Dos and Don’ts of Right Behavior, Tough Thinking, Clear Writing, and Living a Good Life (113). Crown. Kindle Edition.