“[T]o restore the soul and to secure the future of America,” President Joe Biden said in his inaugural speech, “requires more than words. It requires that most elusive of things in a democracy: Unity. … This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and unity is the path forward.” The bad news: Where politics is concerned, “unity” is a pipe dream.
Tag: anarchism
Responsible Rulers
I have often heard people charge libertarian anarchists with being irresponsible for wishing to get rid of the current system of government and replace it with genuine self-governance. It’s as if — however difficult it may be to believe — these critics actually believe that rulers in the current setup are responsible.
Democratic Nations, U.S. Capitalism, Anarchism, & Root of All Evil (34m) – Episode 374
Episode 374 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following questions from Quora: “Why are so many democratic nations in peril? Has democracy become a liability to free nations?”; “Has U.S. capitalism abandoned the middle class?”; “Why do some people support anarchism?”; and “Is the root of all evil simply a man’s belief in evil?”
In Spite of Those Threats
The idea that anarchism must fail because under anarchy no one can make others obey the rules is stunningly stupid.
“Anarchist” Is Not An Insult
Gangsters like Trump (and his 44 predecessors) aren’t morally qualified to shine a Black Bloc rabble-rouser’s Doc Martens, let alone criticize the ideological anarchists who daily expose the protection racket called the state.
Hate Speech, Inheritance, Morality, & Anarchism (36m) – Episode 322
Episode 322 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following questions from Quora: “If we move to suppress “hate speech”, whom do we trust to define it?”; “Do you think rich kids deserve their wealth?”; “Why is there morally good and morally bad?”; and “What do you think about anarchism?”
Neither Here Nor There
As you can see, no one person is captured by a single label or group. But politicians, news media, and the least secure among us find it a lazy shortcut to group and label individuals into collectives.
I Dream of Anarchy
As any good conversation about liberty ought to, it turned to the question of anarchy. Not in the positive, bomb-throwing sense. Anarchy simply meaning society without a political ruler, or without the initiation of violence. I shared with him a deep and rich body of thought, from Linda and Morris Tannehill, to Lysander Spooner, to Frank Chodorov, to Roy Childs, to David Friedman (Milton’s son), to Spencer Heath MacCollum, to Murray Rothbard, to Leo Tolstoy, to Leonard Read, to Randy Barnett, to John Hasnas, to Bruce Benson, to Robert Higgs, to Edward Stringham, to Peter Leeson, to Jeffrey Tucker and more.
Voltairine de Cleyre
I have rediscovered Voltairine de Cleyre recently, or maybe I should just say “discovered.” I had previously known her only from quotes and pocket-sized bios. Listening to an audiobook of essays, however, I am learning of the artfulness that keeps her famous more than a century after her death in 1912.
Anarchist Colonization of Mars
I was on a recent episode of the Anarchy Bang podcast with the topic being Anarchist Colonization of Mars. Here are the pieces that I wrote for the intro and the editorial for this episode.