Guest post by Murray N. Rothbard. It has lately become a growing fashion to extend the concept of rights from human beings to animals, and to assert that since animals have the full rights of humans, it is therefore impermissible—i.e., that no man has the right—to kill or eat them. There are, of course, many…
Category: Voluntaryism
Why I Detest the State
Guest post by Clem Johnson. Originally published in The Voluntaryist, February, 1987. About a year before he died, Albert Einstein wrote this warning: “The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking, and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophies.” In paraphrase, such a statement could describe even dire consequences: “From tribalism…
Why Democracy is Irresponsible
Guest post by Strangering. Originally posted at /r/anarcho_capitalism. Let’s define what it means to be responsible. One is considered responsible for his actions if the consequences of the actions are owned by him. For example, if one drives drunk and crashes into a tree, the damage to the car and his body is his to bear.…
The Search for Peace
Guest post by Lorne Strider. Originally published in The Voluntaryist, January 1987. If we look about us in the world today, it soon becomes apparent that only governments are capable of the large scale regimentation and taxation necessary to conscript, train, arm, feed and clothe armies. Only governments with powers of coercive taxation can amass…
Re: Animal Rights and Voluntaryism, a Solution
borahorzagobuchol has offered some constructive criticism of my “solution“. You can read that here. My last point, “I don’t know if the ‘animal rights’ debate will ever be settled, but either way, right now the voluntaryist solution is simple (persuasion).” Skyler.
Animal Rights and Voluntaryism, a Solution
A Facebook groupee shared this article he wrote on the NAP and animal rights. I responded with what I believe is the voluntaryist solution. How about… when animals are capable of adopting the non-aggression principle for not only their own species, but toward others, then perhaps we can start including them?Further, consider proportionality and powers.…
The United States OR America?
Guest post by Carl Watner. Originally published in The Voluntaryist, July 1986. On January 10, 1776, Tom Paine published his pamphlet Common Sense. It spread like wildfire through the colonies and shattered the King’s cause as it set forth the virtues of independence and the absurdity of submitting to the arbitrary rule of a hereditary…
Where Does the State’s Legitimacy Come From?
Guest post by Michael Suede. I have a simple question for my dear readers. Where does the U.S. government’s legitimacy and power come from? Does it come from some pretty handwritten documents that date back to the 18th century? To quote the preamble to the Constitution: We the People of the United States, in Order…
Living Slavery And All That
Guest post by Alan P. Koontz. Originally published in The Voluntaryist, August 1985. In various forums, at least since the birth of the [Libertarian Party], Murray Rothbard has invoked what he calls the “slavery analogy,” to point up the morality of political voting. The question is: Does the slavery analogy really help in this way?…
A Fine and Functioning Anarchy
Guest post by Alex R. Knight, III. A recent acquaintance of mine – I’ll call him Larry, for purposes of anonymity (the further relevance of which shall become clear shortly) – related a story just earlier at the time of this writing, in which a friend of his referred to a certain venerable organization as…