When two people get together and make an agreement, there is always and expectation of a just exchange. Every individual has personal preferences that set values for them so what is just in exchanges can vary. If I like mixed media or abstract art, I will be willing to pay more and appreciate it more than another person. There are also things that have a market value which is the average price a group of individuals would be willing to pay for a product. Even relationships have value and there are expectations such as devotion and honor that we might expect to make the transaction fair. When someone feels their expectations aren’t being met they feel justified in not acquiring the product and the exchange is discontinued. When we talk about freedom this is the main point. Free people are those who can set values according to their own interests and make transactions among themselves without the interference of others.  A free market has value determined between individuals and a socialist market sets values by consensus or a panel.

Outsiders may have subject knowledge but tend to be indifferent toward personal passions and are ignorant of details. A socialist mindset starts with the thought that common people are incapable of making their own value judgments. As with all tyrannies, the subjects start out with the assumption that the oppressors have their best interests at heart. This is key to any group think or mob rule. They are in it together for a cause for a certain benefit to the group so it justifies poor judgment and bad behavior. It can be a religion, political or a social cause. But good behavior and sound judgment are based in understanding universal truths. Armed with reason, we see clearly what a just exchange really is; the correct amount of our input verses the correct amount of benefit we get out of it. This is aptly called being reasonable.

When a people are skilled at being reasonable, all of society benefits. A people who respect justice are what makes a society civil. But reason also has a critical and a penal side to it that cannot be avoided. Those who are unjust must make it right somehow. Judgment fails in two ways. First if penalties are meted out that are too severe and second if people are wrongly given a pass. In our personal lives we use judgment too but in the same way individuals should have a free exchange of goods to have a free market, we should also have the ability to use judgment and grace as we see fit. Reasonable people rightly dislike the opinions of third party outsiders who are either ignorant of details or indifferent to the situation. This attitude doesn’t suddenly make them unreasonable but is more of an indication of free thought than going along with group think.