The Derek Chauvin trial was an example of authoritarian in-fighting.
Author: Skyler J. Collins (Editor)
Founder and editor of Everything-Voluntary.com and UnschoolingDads.com, Skyler is a husband and unschooling father of three beautiful children. His writings include the column series “One Voluntaryist’s Perspective” and “One Improved Unit,” and blog series “Two Cents“. Skyler also wrote the books No Hitting! and Toward a Free Society, and edited the books Everything Voluntary and Unschooling Dads. You can hear Skyler chatting away on his podcasts, Everything Voluntary and Thinking & Doing.
On Socialism II
Friedman leveled the poignant question to Burgis on what would happen to he and his friends if they practiced capitalism (one of them hiring the others for a wage) under his socialist system. Predictably, Burgis kept dodging the question.
On Racism
I just read a fantastic essay from 2017 on racism by Slate Star Codex titled, “Against Murderism”. I highly recommend it and was intellectually tickled by how it ended.
Robert Higgs: The State Is Too Dangerous to Tolerate (58m)
This episode features a lecture by economist and economic historian Robert Higgs from 2013. This is an intellectual tour de force from Higgs, where he demolishes many of the popular misconceptions about (and justifications for) the state.
On Individualism
I’m reading a terrific anthology of individualist thought edited by George H. Smith and Marilyn Moore. One essay was written by Oscar Wilde and focuses on individualism being the least selfish among alternatives. Let me put it this way: I am an individualist first, voluntaryist second.
On Exploitation
There’s a very simple test you can apply to determine whether or not a market transaction is exploitative: If the transaction is made voluntarily and offers a better alternative to the parties involved, the transaction is not exploitative; If the transaction is made coercively and offers a worse alternative to one of the parties involved, the transaction is exploitative.
Tom Woods: The Calamity of Anti-Capitalism (45m)
This episode features a lecture by historian and Austro-libertarian Tom Woods from 2008. He talks about anti-capitalist thought and the disasters that flow from it, from American history.
Exploited By a Day Laborer & Compounded Ignorance Leads to Hubris (17m) – Episode 464
Episode 464 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following topics: an article he wrote in September 2011 titled, “That Time I was Exploited by a Day Laborer”; and an article he wrote in May 2018 titled, “Compounded Ignorance Leads to Hubris”.
Daniel Lapin: What is Morally Right About Economic Freedom (56m)
This episode features a talk by Rabbi Daniel Lapin from 2009. He explores the ethics of free markets and economic freedom.
Michele Boldrin: Against Intellectual Monopoly (1h19m)
This episode features an interview of research economist Michele Boldrin from 2009 by Russ Roberts, host of Econtalk. Boldrin argues that copyright and patent are used by the politically powerful to maintain monopoly profits. He argues that the incentive effects that have been used to justify copyright and patents are exaggerated–few examples from history suggest that the temporary and not-so-temporary monopoly power from copyright and patents were necessary to induce innovation. Boldrin reviews some of that evidence and talks about the nature of competition.