As the 5th of November dawns and we remember the “gunpowder treason and plot,” I can’t help but muse about the ethics of intentionally killing politicians or other government officials. Was Guy Fawkes’ justified in attempting to blow up Parliament? If so, would similar actions be justified in the present day? It’s easy to pretend…
Tag: action
On the Hunger Games III
Something that this series, as well as previous ones like John Carter and Carson Napier, has taught me is the importance of extending empathy to those who have been raised to regard certain actions, say forcing people to participate in a game where they must kill everyone else to win, as not wrong. There’s a scene in…
Patriotism, the Anti-Nationalism
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. “One’s country” is not synonymous with “one’s nation.” Many are confused on this point. To equate the two is to confuse…
Social Coercion, a Discussion
I thought I’d share the discussion on Facebook that led to me writing my column on social coercion, between Aaron and Steve (with minor edits and comments in brackets). It’s far more detailed than my column was and I wanted to archive it here. Skyler. Steve: “Social coercion” I define as the pressure one individual or…
On the Hunger Games II
If you are unfamiliar with “agorism” and would like an introduction, look no further than the first few chapters of The Hunger Games, book one. It describes Katniss and Gale crawling under the unpowered electrical fence around their district to hunt game and gather food, return and trade it at the black market known as…
Social Coercion, or Humans as Means
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. Traditionally, voluntaryism has only been concerned with physical coercion, or physical aggression. In “Voluntaryism Transcends Anarchism” I gave my thoughts on…
Benevolent Government
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…
Expanding Argumentation Ethics
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. My column praising illegal immigrants led to one discussion where I was asked where I believe rights come from. I responded…
On Compassion
What is compassion? I say it’s looking toward someone less fortunate than yourself and feeling desirous to help them in whatever way they need most. Compassion, then, must first be intrinsically motivated, from one’s heart, and second be voluntarily displayed, as a freely chosen course of action. When the action is preceded by a threat…
Procreation is not Parenting
Send him mail. “Insight for the Young and Unrestrained” is an original column appearing every Thursday at Everything-Voluntary.com, by Gregory V. Diehl. Gregory is a writer, musician, educator, and coach for young people at EnabledYouth.com. Archived columns can be found here. IYU-only RSS feed available here. It’s been part of my long-term mission in life…