Written by Albert Jay Nock for the American Mercury, March, 1939. As well as I can judge, the general attitude of Americans who are at all interested in foreign affairs is one of astonishment, coupled with distaste, displeasure, or horror, according to the individual observer’s capacity for emotional excitement. Perhaps I ought to shade this…
Category: Voluntaryism
Being An Individual
Written by Charles Curley and Campbell Chandler for The Voluntaryist, December 1988. In order to truly be an individual, one must claim his or her inherent birthright to be happy and free. It means taking responsibility for one’s own condition, as opposed to blaming external forces; be that force a government, an unforgiving deity or…
The Myth of Political Freedom
Written by Carl Watner for The Voluntaryist, December 1988. How is it that citizens of the Soviet Russia become imbued with the political ideas of the United States Constitution? Why are Americans knowledgeable about the political freedoms outlined in the Constitution of the U.S.S.R.? The answer to these two questions is relatively simple. In both…
Peace or Politics
Guest post by Frank Chodorov. Originally published in The Voluntaryist, October 1988. Peace is the business of Society. Society is a cooperative effort, springing spontaneously from man’s urge to improve on his circumstances. It is voluntary, completely free of force. It comes because man has learned that the task of life is easier of accomplishment…
How Can We Do It?
Guest post by Robert LeFevre. Originally published in The Voluntaryist, October 1988. Since I have repeatedly opposed the belief that one can advance the cause of liberty by political action, I have been asked on several occasions for an outline of the practical steps to be taken outside the political arena. How do we move…
A Manifesto of the Private Property Anarchists
Guest post by Kevin W. Cornell. Many are likely to at least partly subscribe to the philosophical ideal of individual liberty that is at the heart of private property anarchism but still think that the application of private property anarchist ideology to society would necessarily lead to chaos. However, such a belief is entirely unfounded…
My Peace
Guest post by R. S. Jaggard. Originally published in The Voluntaryist, June 1988. My Peace is more than just the absence of war. My Peace is that positive attitude in which I recognize that you are an individual person. I respect you, I respect your right to live in Peace, and, I want to work…
The Principle of Self-Ownership
Guest post by Ken Schoolland. My philosophy is based on the principle of self-ownership. You own your life. To deny this is to imply that another person has a higher claim on your life than you do. No other person, or group of persons, owns your life nor do you own the lives of others.…
A Commitment to Voluntaryism
Guest post by Dan Dougherty. Originally published in The Voluntaryist, April 1988. The tactics may vary – they may be violent or nonviolent – but as long as the goal remains the exercise of power over other people, then the politics of confrontation will always sow the seeds of the next rebellion.You cannot improve the…
Fallacious “Rights”
Guest post Alex Perales. Since you own yourself and it would be wrong for someone to force you to do something, it follows that you then have the right to your own life and the right to live free of coercion so long as you do not infringe on the rights of others. The only…