What's Rand Paul's Ethical Framework?

[Beorn]

Haven't really thought about this much myself, but I have been reading a bit about how most protestants are really consequentialists (which isn't very christian at all) and it dawned on me that this is an area that separates him from other GOP candidates. Clearly Rand operates under a different framework, but I'm too lazy to figure it out for myself. Anyone with substantial knowledge on the subject want to chime in?

[65fastback2+2]

you mean the "Leave me alone" framework?

[Kurt Evans]

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[Jonderdonk]

Haven't really thought about this much myself, but I have been reading a bit about how most protestants are really consequentialists (which isn't very christian at all) and it dawned on me that this is an area that separates him from other GOP candidates. Clearly Rand operates under a different framework, but I'm too lazy to figure it out for myself. Anyone with substantial knowledge on the subject want to chime in?

Are you talking theologically? Because I'd say that Rand is the most "Christian" out of all of them. The left is quick to call Jesus a socialist, when the opposite is actually true. Jesus was championing charity in a capitalist society, which is what Rand would support. Jesus also was against governmental punishment for iniquities... "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." I'd say that's where Rand differentiates himself from the rest of the GOP field. The "evangelical statists" very much want to establish a fringe theocracy, which is contrarian to the principles of Christ in my opinion. Jesus was all about the enabling of the individual make righteous choices for themselves, not through the coercion of the state. Just my $0.02. And I hope that answers your question.

[CPUd]

Ron's was pretty much "Golden Rule", so Rand's would be similar if not the same.

[Jonderdonk]

Ron's was pretty much "Golden Rule", so Rand's would be similar if not the same.

Haha I remember when Ron got booed for applying to Golden Rule to foreign policy. Smh...

[Kurt Evans]

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[hells_unicorn]

Haven't really thought about this much myself, but I have been reading a bit about how most protestants are really consequentialists (which isn't very christian at all) and it dawned on me that this is an area that separates him from other GOP candidates. Clearly Rand operates under a different framework, but I'm too lazy to figure it out for myself. Anyone with substantial knowledge on the subject want to chime in?

What's your basis for the belief that most Protestants are really consequentialists? That might apply to anti-doctrinal independents, most of which fall under the Anabaptist category rather than Protestant in the Magistrate Reformer context. The most brazenly consequentialist of groups claiming to be Christian is the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), in fact, they were the most directly responsible for promoting this mode of thought in order to excuse the moral infractions that they committed in the name of fighting for the Roman Church.

[Kurt Evans]

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[Jonderdonk]

Hopefully this won't be too offensive to anyone. I wrote the original version a few years ago:

I think this is right on

[erowe1]

Haven't really thought about this much myself, but I have been reading a bit about how most protestants are really consequentialists (which isn't very christian at all) and it dawned on me that this is an area that separates him from other GOP candidates. Clearly Rand operates under a different framework, but I'm too lazy to figure it out for myself. Anyone with substantial knowledge on the subject want to chime in?

That's a good question. Ron's ethical framework came from his fundamentalist Christian beliefs. But Rand, while he inherited his libertarian leanings from his dad, doesn't seem to come from that same religious starting point.

I'm curious to know more about this as well.

[hells_unicorn]

That's a good question. Ron's ethical framework came from his fundamentalist Christian beliefs. But Rand, while he inherited his libertarian leanings from his dad, doesn't seem to come from that same religious starting point.

I'm curious to know more about this as well.

Rand is a member of the PCA, so he has a different attitude towards the function of the civil magistrate and views government acts through the standards of Christian Prudence. It's not too far off from how Covenanters view government, except for the fact that the PCA generally regards the U.S. Constitution as legitimate and therefore tends to work within its framework. Granted, apart from the Steelite Dissenters, even the RPCNA generally tends to view government the same way.

Rand's more pragmatic attitude regarding foreign policy is generally rooted in the Presbyterian understanding of Christian Prudence, and also in the belief that ascending courts with corresponding checks and balances is a proper mode of government, which is in harmony with the Constitutional system.

[erowe1]

Rand is a member of the PCA, so he has a different attitude towards the function of the civil magistrate and views government acts through the standards of Christian Prudence. It's not too far off from how Covenanters view government, except for the fact that the PCA generally regards the U.S. Constitution as legitimate and therefore tends to work within its framework. Granted, apart from the Steelite Dissenters, even the RPCNA generally tends to view government the same way.

Rand's more pragmatic attitude regarding foreign policy is generally rooted in the Presbyterian understanding of Christian Prudence, and also in the belief that ascending courts with corresponding checks and balances is a proper mode of government, which is in harmony with the Constitutional system.

When he ran for Senate I read that he was a member of the Presbyterian Church in Bowling Green, which is PCUSA.

[hells_unicorn]

When he ran for Senate I read that he was a member of the Presbyterian Church in Bowling Green, which is PCUSA.

Excuse me, I just double checked and that church is a PCUSA affiliate. This definitely explains why Rand thinks that Macro-Evolution and Christianity are compatible, because the PCA would have probably objected to what he said in that interview with Chris Matthews. I can't remember who it was that told me he was a PCA affiliate.

Essentially most of what I stated insofar as governmental structure is concerned is still valid, but Rand's church doesn't have an orthodox understanding of the Westminster Confession of Faith as it pertains to matters of fundamental doctrines, so one might guess that he does hold some consequentialist views on matters of morality, though apparently not on the real big stuff like abortion and no fault divorce.

[Beorn]

Rand is a member of the PCA, so he has a different attitude towards the function of the civil magistrate and views government acts through the standards of Christian Prudence. It's not too far off from how Covenanters view government, except for the fact that the PCA generally regards the U.S. Constitution as legitimate and therefore tends to work within its framework. Granted, apart from the Steelite Dissenters, even the RPCNA generally tends to view government the same way.

Rand's more pragmatic attitude regarding foreign policy is generally rooted in the Presbyterian understanding of Christian Prudence, and also in the belief that ascending courts with corresponding checks and balances is a proper mode of government, which is in harmony with the Constitutional system.

Wow, I didn't realize Rand was in my denomination. Cool.

oops. Should have kept reading. PCUSA does make more sense. I wouldn't definitely say that his church is unorthodox, though there are probably only a very few left in the PCUSA as most have split by now.

[r3volution 3.0]

I'd infer that he's both a deontologist and a consequentialist libertarian - like most of us are.

He's intimately familiar with Austrian Economics (consequentialism) and also modern libertarian ethicists like Rand and Rothbard (deontology).

How exactly he would frame his deontological ethics (natural rights, objectivism, some tie in to his denomination of Christianity, etc), I have no idea.

[hells_unicorn]

Wow, I didn't realize Rand was in my denomination. Cool.

oops. Should have kept reading. PCUSA does make more sense. I wouldn't definitely say that his church is unorthodox, though there are probably only a very few left in the PCUSA as most have split by now.

There are a few holdouts left, but I don't see why they bother holding out when its pretty clear that the church's leadership is marching straight for perdition. This was apparent way back in the early 20th century when John Gresham Machen split from them and formed the OPC. Actually, the entire RPCNA's existence is predicated on the notion that the original American Presbyterian Church lost its way during The Great Awakening, which is part of where my current church came into the picture, though we're not in communion with the RPCNA and haven't been since the mid 19th century.

[Kurt Evans]

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