“The Tears of Strangers are Only Water”

the AZEL PERSPECTIVE Commentary on Cuba's Future, U.S. Foreign Policy & Individual Freedoms - Issue 389 B

José Azel's latest books "On Freedom" and "Sobre La Libertad" are now available on Amazon.  “The Tears of Strangers are Only Water” (Previosly published) Share Tweet Forward

The Russian proverb, “The Tears of Strangers are Only Water” sounds heartless and callous, but it is useful to appreciate the complicated emotion of empathy, and its inherent Us-Them divide.  In short, we empathize more with people who are “like us” than with “them.” We are not alone in this divide; psychologists have shown that a mouse seeing another in pain, is more likely to mimic the hurting if it knows the other mouse. And Capuchin monkeys will help out another monkey only if they are in a friendly relationship. Keep this empathy gap and the Us-Them divide in mind as we explore the complex topic of justice.  In his book The Idea of Justice, Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen offers a simple example to begin the discussion. Imagine a scenario where three children, Anne, Bob, and Carla quarrel over a flute. Carla built the flute, and she claims the flute is hers because it is the product of her labor. Not so, says Anne, who claims the flute should be hers because she is the only one of the three that can play the flute. Yet, Bob claims the flute should be given to him because he is so poor that he has no other toys, and the flute would give him something to play with. How would you decide between these three claims?  It turns out that who gets the flute derives from your philosophy of justice. Egalitarians would argue vehemently, on economic grounds, that Bob should get the flute because he is the poorest and neediest of the three. Egalitarians would take the flute from Carla and give it to Bob since he has no toys to play with.  In contrast, utilitarians would argue, just as forcefully, that the flute should be given to Anne. From the utilitarian philosophy of greatest pleasure to the greatest number, Anne would derive the greatest pleasure as she is the only one that can actually play the flute.  Finally, libertarians would insist that Carla’s labor produced the flute and therefore it is hers.  In other words, for egalitarians it is a question of addressing Bob’s poverty; for utilitarians the subject matter is human fulfillment, as addressed by Anne’s playing the flute. And for libertarians the essential point is the right to enjoy the product of one’s labor. All three positions are based on rational arguments within their own perspective of justice. Yet, each position leads to a different resolution that exacerbates the Us-Them divide where the tears of strangers are only water.  Theories of justice abound, and in the early 1970’s Harvard University professors John Rawls and Robert Nozick rigorously and brilliantly broached the topic from opposite points of view. Rawls, one of the major thinkers of liberal political philosophy, published A Theory of Justice in which he defends redistributions - such as giving the flute to Bob or Anne - by offering an understanding of “justice as fairness.” According to Rawls, ignorance of one’s assets (intelligence, abilities, etc.) would lead people to adopt a strategy that would maximize prospects to the least well-off just in case we happen to find ourselves in that group. Rawls would probably give the flute to Bob.  His fellow philosopher Robert Nozick countered with his 1974 book Anarchy, State, and Utopia, asserting that Rawls patterns of redistribution are morally arbitrary and incompatible with liberty. Nozick points out that the state would have to continually intervene with our freedoms to enforce and preserve any distribution desired by Rawls.  If holdings are acquired justly, such as by Carla’s own efforts to build the flute, what exactly would be the principle under which justly acquired holdings are to be distributed? We all want a just society, but does justice reside in a redistribution of holdings, or in the underlaying ethics of ownership?  Appropriating the results of someone’s labor gives others a slave-like property right in the person. Thus, a redistribution of Carla’s flute can only be accomplished by violating her individual rights. No, Bob and Anne’s tears are not only water, but neither are Carla’s tears, and it is her flute.  Please let us know if you  this article. We welcome your feedback. Abrazos, Lily & José (click on the name to email Lily or Jose) José Azel, Ph.D. José Azel left Cuba in 1961 as a 13 year-old political exile in what has been dubbed Operation Pedro Pan - the largest unaccompanied child refugee movement in the history of the Western Hemisphere.   He is currently dedicated to the in-depth analyses of Cuba's economic, social and political state, with a keen interest in post-Castro-Cuba strategies. Dr. Azel was a Senior Scholar at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies (ICCAS) at the University of Miami, Jose Azel has published extensively on Cuba related topics. In 2012 and 2015, Dr. Azel testified in the U.S. Congress on U.S.-Cuba Policy, and U.S. National Security.  He is a frequent speaker and commentator on these and related topics on local, national and international media.  He holds undergraduate and masters degrees in business administration and a Ph.D. in International Affairs from the University of Miami. José along with his wife Lily are avid skiers and adventure travelers.  In recent years they have climbed Grand Teton in Wyoming, trekked Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Machu Pichu in Peru.  They have also hiked in Tibet and in the Himalayas to Mt. Everest Base Camp. They cycled St. James Way (El Camino de Santiago de Compostela) and cycled alongside the Danube from Germany to Hungary and throughout southern France.  They have scuba dived in the Bay Islands off the Honduran coast and in the Galapagos Islands. Most recently, they rafted for 17 days 220 miles in the Grand Canyon.  Their adventurers are normally dedicated to raise funds for causes that are dear to them.  Watch Joe & Lily summit Kilimanjaro. Books by Dr. José Azel José Azel’s writings are touched with the wisdom of a master, and the charm of an excellent communicator. Anyone who wishes to understand why countries do, or do not, progress will find in this book the best explanations. And, from these readings emerge numerous inferences: How and why do the good intentions of leftist collectivism lead countries to hell? Why is liberty not a sub product of prosperity, but rather one of its causes? If it was in my power, this work would be required reading for all college and university students, and I would also recommend its reading to all politicians, journalists, and policymakers. With his writings Azel accomplishes what was achieved in France by Frédéric Bastiat, and in the United States by Henry Hazlitt: Azel brings together common sense with intelligent observation, and academic substance. Stupendous, Carlos Alberto Montaner                                                                    BUY NOW Los escritos de José Azel están tocados por la sabiduría de un maestro y la amenidad de un excelente comunicador. Cualquiera que desee entender por qué los países progresan, o no, encontrará en este libro las mejores explicaciones. De estas lecturas surgen numerosas inferencias: ¿Cómo y por qué las buenas intenciones del colectivismo de izquierda llevan a los países al infierno? ¿Por qué la libertad no es un subproducto de la prosperidad, sino una de sus causas? Si estuviera en mis manos, esta obra sería de obligada lectura de todos los estudiantes universitarios, pero además, le recomendaría su lectura a todos los políticos, periodistas y policy makers. Con sus escritos Azel logra lo que Frédéric Bastiat consiguiera en Francia y Henry Hazlitt en Estados Unidos: aunar el sentido común, la observación inteligente y la enjundia académica. Estupendo. Carlos Alberto Montaner                                                            Compre Aqui "Liberty for beginners is much more than what the title promises. It is eighty themes touched with the wisdom of a master, and the charm of an excellent communicator. Anyone that wishes to understand why countries do, or do not progress, will find in this book the best explanations. Stupendous" Carlos Alberto Montaner Buy Now "Libertad para novatos es mucho más de lo que promete el título. Son ochenta temas tocados con la sabiduría de un maestro y la amenidad de un excelente comunicador. Cualquier adulto que desee saber por qué progresan o se estancan los pueblos aquí encontrará las mejores explicaciones. Estupendo." Carlos Alberto Montaner Compre Aqui In Reflections on Freedom, José Azel brings together a collection of his columns published in prestigious newspapers.  Each article reveals his heartfelt and personal awareness of the importance of freedom in our lives.  They are his reflections after nearly sixty years of living and learning as a Cuban outside Cuba. In what has become his stylistic trademark, Professor Azel brilliantly introduces complex topics in brief journalistic articles. Buy Now En Reflexiones sobre la libertad José Azel reúne una colección de sus columnas publicadas en prestigiosos periódicos. Cada artículo revela su percepción sincera y personal de la importancia de la libertad en nuestras vidas. Son sus reflexiones después de casi sesenta años viviendo y aprendiendo como cubano fuera de Cuba.  En lo que ha resultado ser característica distintiva de sus artículos, el Profesor Azel introduce con brillantez complejos temas en  breves artículos de carácter periodístico. Compre Aqui Mañana in Cuba is a comprehensive analysis of contemporary Cuba with an incisive perspective of the Cuban frame of mind and its relevancy for Cuba's future. Buy now Pedazos y Vacíos is a collection of poems written in by Dr. Azel in his youth. Poems are in Spanish. Buy now

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