Of Midgets and Might
Some ado has been made about this Calpundit post, in which he explains why he now opposes invading Iraq. To wit:
I just can’t align myself any longer with the folks who think the rest of the world are “midgets” who should be shoved unceremoniously out of the way whenever we feel like it.
I’m not inherently pessimistic nor do I believe absolutely that all humans are evil, nor the masses cattle, and all that state of nature stuff. But basically the statement above illustrates that the doctrine of Might Makes Right is wrong.
On a very fundamental philosophical level, I agree. And it would be nice if that were the case. But the realist in me can’t help but think that, to an extent, might does make right from a historical perspective. As for shoving the midgets aside, it depends upon what the midgets have done and not merely the fact that they are midgets. A point often overlooked is the view that we pick on the midgets, instead of the actions of the midgets that warrant a little might every now and again.
