Over this semester, I have avoided admitting to the class one of my deepest ideological convictions, out of (1) epistemological humility, knowing that I may be persuaded against my own beliefs as a result of this course, and (2) slight aversion to conflict. For the same reasons, I have not identified myself to any of my classes, until now, since I need to write one more blog post.
I am an anarchist.
As a result of my ideological disposition, my rational voting equation ( pB + D - C ≥ 0 ) is such that my D is actually negative. To wear an ‘I voted’ sticker would be to signal to my peers that I participated in the very thing I detest: government. This is not to say that I do not have preferences on issues being voted upon, since many of my preferences are actually quite strong. I simply do not believe that I, or anyone else (representatives or voters), have the right to impose preferences upon others without voluntary consent. This is to say that unanimity for purposes of collective action would be, in my perception, the only morally acceptable voting rule.
Furthermore, I actually gain a bit of utility from telling friends that I did not vote. Given the high 'civic duty’ that so many others perceive, many people have difficulty wrapping their heads around my thought process, which occasionally makes for fun conversation.
[I have no goal of convincing others, and I am aware that I am a preference outlier]
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