Guest post by Robert LeFevre. Originally published in The Voluntaryist, April 1988. There are few men in this nation who would favor unlimited government. The mere thought of such a situation fills us all with dread. But scholars who have dealt with the problem of government long enough are beginning to wonder if the term “unlimited…
Category: Voluntaryism
Was Aesop a Voluntaryist?
Guest post by Carl Watner. Originally published in The Voluntaryist, February 1988. Many of us are probably familiar with the Fables, written by Aesop (620-560 B.C.), the Greek slave. It has been years since I read them, but recently a subscriber to The Voluntaryist suggested that I look at some of them. The following are two…
Some Critical Considerations on the US Constitution
Guest post by Carl Watner. Originally published in The Voluntaryist, February 1988. The Constitution is one of the most revered symbols of the United States. Over the years, it has taken on all the trappings of sovereignty, commanding the loyalty of almost every American. The Constitution is “America’s uncrowned king,” because “it is above party,…
What is Political “Extremism”?
Guest post by Laird Wilcox. Originally published in The Voluntaryist, August 1987. Roger Scruton, in the Dictionary Of Political Thought (1982) defines “extremism” as: “A vague term, which can mean: 1. Taking a political idea to its limits, regardless of ‘unfortunate’ repercussions, impracticalities, arguments and feelings to the contrary, and with the intention not only to…
What Social Contract?
Guest post by Alex Perales. One of the most common and most ridiculous arguments for the justification of the State’s actions is “social contract”. From the left we see them yell for the social contract to justify taxes on the rich to help the poor. From the right we see them yell for the social…
The Power of Non-Violent Resistance
Guest post by Jerry M. Tinker. Originally published in The Voluntaryist, August 1987. As many writers have noted, the basic thesis, or strategy, upon which Gandhi’s satyagraha and all non-violent resistance rests is that all structures of power – government and social organizations – always depend upon the voluntary cooperation of great numbers of people…
Constitutions: No Authority
Guest post by Butler Shaffer. Originally published in The Voluntaryist, June 1987. I recently returned from a conference at which a participant took frenzied issue with me over the question of whether the Constitution is capable of protecting human liberty. I took the position that no Constitution can guarantee our freedoms, because it is impossible…
Take Responsibility for Your Safety
Guest post by Kyle Blizzard. A common concern with anarchism is this: Without a government-run police force, how can we stay safe? First, reconsider your ideas of what the police force’s job is, because they may not provide the safety that you think they do. The police rarely stop violent criminals in the act, only…
The Inflation of Rights
Guest post by Sir Alfred Sherman. Originally published in The Voluntaryist, April 1987. In this essay I wish to argue that the inflation of rights, in the sense of hypertrophy of claims on society that the state is responsible for levying, is inherently self-defeating. It is bound to generate conflicts of rights that will end…
Jury Nullification in America
Guest post by Chris Bassil. Last month (September), a man named Alvin Schlangen was tried in a Minnesota court for violating a state law against the sale of raw milk. The case against Schlangen, which dealt with what reasonable people will recognize as a relatively inconsequential transgression, was made on the basis of a series…