Alex, very interesting article. In his conclusion, the author writes, “The longer we cling to strong beliefs about the existence of pure evil, the more aggressive and antisocial we become.” I would say that that has very important implications for voluntaryism as it concerns parenting. I understand that spanking and other forms of involuntary discipline…
Tag: action
Theft is Never Justified
Theft is despicable. I’m not saying that it’s necessarily worse than assault or murder, but while those actions may be the result of elevated passions in the heat of the moment, theft rarely is. Theft is a cold, calculated act designed to deprive an individual of their owned property. Perhaps the only thing more contemptible…
The Invisible Wall
Send him mail. “Food for Thought” is an original column appearing every other Tuesday at Everything-Voluntary.com, by Norman Imberman. Norman is a retired podiatrist who loves playing piano, writing music, lawn bowling, bridge, reading, classical music, going to movies, plays, concerts and traveling. He is not a member of any social network, nor does he…
Action, Faith, and Voluntaryism
Send him mail. “One Voluntaryist’s Perspective” is an original column appearing most Mondays at Everything-Voluntary.com, by the founder and editor Skyler J. Collins. Archived columns can be found here. OVP-only RSS feed available here. An axiom is a starting point of reasoning, or a premise. Ludwig von Mises discovered the action axiom. Paraphrased, the action…
On the Political Means
The use of violence to profit was called by Franz Oppenheimer, in The State, the “political means.” In contrast, peaceful trade and other voluntary actions he called “economic means.” The Ruling Class are those whose wealth is obtained via the political means. The “Left,” the “Right,” “liberals,” “conservatives,” “constitutionalists,” “centrists” and more are indistinct classifications…
Crime and Punishment in a Free Society
Would a free society be a crime-free society? We have good reason to anticipate it. Don’t accuse me of utopianism. I don’t foresee a future of new human beings who consistently respect the rights of others. Rather, I’m drawing attention to the distinction between crime and tort — between offenses against the state (or society) and offenses against individual persons or their justly held property.
If You Have Nothing to Hide
Nobody asked but … One cannot prove a negative. That alone should be sufficient to disprove the cockeyed idea that if you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing about which to worry. Dan Carlin, on his excellent podcast, Common Sense, retells the story of the New Mexico man who suffered 14 hours…
Re: Honor and Snowden
Nobody asked but … Honor is a dangerous idea to me. To think for a moment that Edward Snowden might have entertained for a second the idea of behaving honorably due to a bogus contract with murderous bureaucrats makes my skin crawl. A contractor to the people has honor due only to the people, not…
On Honor and Edward Snowden
Honor, to me, is keeping your promises and staying true to your principles. Honor does not seem to be a very important part of the lives of Westerners. I only ever heard the term growing up in movies and, more recently, in book series like John Carter, Narnia, and the Lord of the Rings. If…
Power and Resentment
Send him mail. “One Voluntaryist’s Perspective” is an original column appearing most Mondays at Everything-Voluntary.com, by the founder and editor Skyler J. Collins. Archived columns can be found here. OVP-only RSS feed available here. Two themes that my mind has been dwelling on lately, in relation to each other, are power and resentment. I here…