A person named Jared emailed me out of the blue about a week ago with the following letter. It contains a request for feedback followed by an argument that the Non-Aggression Principle as made popular by Murray Rothbard was self-negating on the grounds that the creation of private property is an act of aggression. What ensued were several letters back and forth in which we both flesh out the other’s argument and offer our critique. In the end we understood each other better, but alas no consensus was reach.
Tag: aggression
The Role of War in a Voluntaryist Society
Most voluntaryists understand that war is one of the most terrible, wasteful, horrific tools at the state’s disposal. There can be no doubt that the death, devastation, and warping of the mind caused by war are terrible evils. But the question remains: “Is war ever justified?” Before a coherent answer can be given, we should first define war. If war is defined as a purely statist activity, then war is never justified for the simple reason that statism is never justified. However, if we include private, large-scale military operations in the definition of war, then war could be justified under certain specific conditions.
Ten Principles Important to Me
As part of my process of self-discovery, I’ve outlined ten principles that are important to me, and the reasons why they are important: 1. Consent / nonaggression, because nonconsensual actions (aggression) are evil. 2. Loyalty, because disloyal people have caused me a lot of pain. 3. Truth, because living a lie hurts sooner or later.
The Violence And Justice Monopoly
Almost all of us hold two beliefs which contradict a third near-universal belief. The first is that a state, however else defined, is a geographic monopoly of security and justice. One cannot appeal a ruling beyond the state, and whatever private providers of security and justice may exist, they do so in pronounced subservience to and supervision by the state. The second is that monopolies invariably cause high prices and low quality.
Editor’s Break 011 – What is So Violent About Ethnic Cleansing? (11m)
Editor’s Break 011 shares Skyler’s answer and thoughts to the question, “Does recruiting and organizing for the purposes of ethnic cleansing constitute a credible threat of violence?” It may, or may not, depending on a lot of different things.
An Open Letter to a Statist
If you have an opinion about politics that differs from mine, I can’t just ignore the difference and get along with you. Why not? Because any “political” opinion that differs from mine necessarily includes you wanting men with guns forcing me to live my life, make my choices, and spend my money according to your preferences and whims. There is no such thing, and can be no such thing, as a tolerant statist. If you want peaceful coexistence, you have to stop advocating violent aggression against your fellow man.
The Case for a Voluntary Society
For those of you who think that Anarchy is just an idealistic notion, ask yourself is the more realistic one really a system that is funded through coercion and whose policies are formulated by a select few and whose compliance is mandated under threat of violence? Is this not the incredibly idealistic and I would argue irrational and evil notion? Please, I only ask at the very least not that you agree, but that you instead refrain from supporting the use of violence to forcibly impose your will on me. I promise I will pay you the same respect.
The Demonization of “Anarchists”
I’m actually somewhat glad to see the media talking about how “anarchists” are rioting and breaking crap. No, it’s not because it’s true, or because actual anarchists should or would do that. I’m happy about it because it means that “the powers that be” know they can’t simply ignore anarchists and voluntaryists anymore.
An Open Letter to The Left: No, Libertarians Are Not Selfish
Dear progressives, Democrats, socialists, social democrats, democratic socialists, and those that generally identify with the colloquial version of the word “liberal”: No, libertarians are not selfish people. We don’t hate poor people, and we don’t want to see the less fortunate of our society left behind in what you might describe as “economic Darwinism.” My goal here, is to dispel this misconception and to help you gain an understanding of how libertarian principles relate to the concept of caring for the less fortunate.
Oppression: Symptoms and Causes
It doesn’t take any great perceptiveness or astute powers of observation to notice that a lot is wrong with the world today. But if those loudly reporting the “wrongness” aren’t also aware of the root causes, and what can be done to actually change things, then mostly the message just becomes frustrating and depressing to listen to. And if people continually express righteous anger and indignation at the injustice they see, only to then propose pointless, worthless solutions—or no solutions at all—that doesn’t really help.