"The options seem to be: either you show Felix and others respect and engage with them or you show that you do not respect them or think you have any obligation to even feign respect for them."
Huh?? How about I "respect" Felix (meaning that I grant that he deservedly has the same rights as I do) but I DON'T "engage" with him? Or at least, I don't go out of my way to try to stir up a conversation regarding views he has that I disagree with. It seems as if the author would turn us all into Jehovah's Witnesses, if not for religion then for everything else under the sun.
I'm happy to share my (highly libertarian) views with anyone who is interested, but it's neither courteous nor productive to be pushy with them.
Respect is a feeling that can't be directly chosen (although it can sometimes be cultivated). Luckily, respect is not necessary. We only need to tolerate the liberty of other people by not imposing on their persons or property. But "democracy" (in any version) is inconsistent with such practical toleration.
"The options seem to be: either you show Felix and others respect and engage with them or you show that you do not respect them or think you have any obligation to even feign respect for them."
Huh?? How about I "respect" Felix (meaning that I grant that he deservedly has the same rights as I do) but I DON'T "engage" with him? Or at least, I don't go out of my way to try to stir up a conversation regarding views he has that I disagree with. It seems as if the author would turn us all into Jehovah's Witnesses, if not for religion then for everything else under the sun.
I'm happy to share my (highly libertarian) views with anyone who is interested, but it's neither courteous nor productive to be pushy with them.
Respect is a feeling that can't be directly chosen (although it can sometimes be cultivated). Luckily, respect is not necessary. We only need to tolerate the liberty of other people by not imposing on their persons or property. But "democracy" (in any version) is inconsistent with such practical toleration.