Editor’s Pick. Written by Brandon Smith. Mankind has faced a bewildering multitude of self-made catastrophes and self-made terrors over the past few millennium, most of which stem from a single solitary conflict between two opposing social qualities: individualism vs. collectivism. These two forces of organizational mechanics have gone through evolution after evolution over the years,…
Category: Voluntaryism
Children of the Collective: The State’s Attack on Individuality
Editor’s Pick. Written by Connor Boyack. An independent thinker is an incredible threat to the state. For this reason, statists throughout history have attempted, through propaganda and brute force, to shape and subdue society by controlling the education of the rising generation. As Hitler himself said, “He alone who owns the youth, gains the future.”…
Libertarian Wishful Thinking
Editor’s Pick. Written by Robert Higgs. As a rule, libertarians incline toward wishful thinking. They constantly pluck little events, statements, and movies from the flow of life and cry out, “Eureka! Libertarianism is on the march!” With some of my friends, this tendency is so marked that I have become amused by its recurrent expression—well,…
The Whole Problem (and Solution) in Two Minutes
Editor’s Pick. Video by Larkin Rose.
The State: Crown Jewel of Human Social Organization
Editor’s Pick. Written by Robert Higgs. Since the earliest stage of human history (say, the time of Cain and Abel), human beings have been homicidal maniacs. Yet, for untold ages, something was missing, something with the capacity to raise their murderous mania to truly magnificent heights. Only very late in human history—perhaps 10,000 years ago…
Legalize Polygamy!
Editor’s Pick. Written by Jillian Keenan. Recently, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council reintroduced a tired refrain: Legalized gay marriage could lead to other legal forms of marriage disaster, such as polygamy. Rick Santorum, Bill O’Reilly, and other social conservatives have made similar claims. It’s hardly a new prediction—we’ve been hearing it for years.…
15 Ways You Are Probably Wrong About Anarchists, Agorists, and Voluntaryists
Editor’s Pick. Written by Kyle Bennett. We don’t want to turn your government anarchist. That makes as much sense as accusing you of wanting to dye your hair “bald”. We get it, there’s no historical precedent. That tends to be a common problem with new things, yet new things are created every day. We don’t…
The A Word
Editor’s Pick. Written by Donald Boudreaux. I confess to having deep sympathies for anarchism. I hold open the possibility and the hope that a prosperous and peaceful society can flourish without the state. Unfortunately, the word “anarchy” has an offensive connotation. Anarchy is commonly understood to mean “lawlessness.” And lawlessness truly is offensive. A lawless…
The Rules Don’t Apply To The State
Editor’s Pick. Written by Michael Suede. One of the fascinating things about the state is its ability to get away with crimes that normal citizens would be imprisoned or executed for. In a world awash in rules and regulations, I find it fascinating that virtually none of the rules apply to the people who are…
Why Do People Submit to Governments?
Editor’s Pick. Written by Mark Stoval for his personal blog. One of the most important insights is that all political states, benign or tyrannical, exist on a foundation of popular consent. The state is a coercive, aggressive monopoly managed by a committee of armed parasites. Rothbard’s “gang of thieves writ large”. Governments are populated by…