Thanksgiving Was a Triumph of Capitalism over Collectivism

This time of the year, whether in good economic times or bad, is when we gather with our family and friends and enjoy a Thanksgiving meal together. It marks a remembrance of those early Pilgrim Fathers who crossed the uncharted ocean from Europe to make a new start in Plymouth, Massachusetts. What is less appreciated is that Thanksgiving also is a celebration of the birth of free enterprise in America.

Let the Kids Work

The Washington Post ran a beautiful photo montage of children at work from 100 years ago. I get it. It’s not supposed to be beautiful. It’s supposed to be horrifying. I’m looking at these kids. They are scruffy, dirty, and tired. No question. But I also think about their inner lives. They are working in the adult world, surrounded by cool bustling things and new technology. They are on the streets, in the factories, in the mines, with adults and with peers, learning and doing. They are being valued for what they do, which is to say being valued as people. They are earning money.

Bye-Bye Stefan Molyneux – A Brief Introduction Into the “Connection” Between Anarchy and the Alt-Right

So are alt-righters and libertarian anarchists (AKA – Anarcho-Capitalists, Market-Anarchists – i.e. – actual anarchists) compatible in thought? In a word, no. But there is some nuance that is worth exploring. Keep in mind, this post isn’t meant to be comprehensive, but a rather brief introduction into any possible intersection between the two belief systems, if there is one, and to explore how deep that association goes and when and where it ends.

Short Subjects and The Shipping News

Send him mail. “Finding the Challenges” is an original column appearing every other Wednesday at Everything-Voluntary.com, by Verbal Vol. Verbal is a software engineer, college professor, corporate information officer, life long student, farmer, libertarian, literarian, student of computer science and self-ordering phenomena, pre-TSA world traveler, domestic traveler. Archived columns can be found here. FTC-only RSS…

Division of Labor, Evolution, Tom Woods

Send him mail. “Finding the Challenges” is an original column appearing every other Wednesday at Everything-Voluntary.com, by Verbal Vol. Verbal is a software engineer, college professor, corporate information officer, life long student, farmer, libertarian, literarian, student of computer science and self-ordering phenomena. Archived columns can be found here. FTC-only RSS feed available here. With today’s…

On Capitalism II

Capitalism as “the private ownership of the means of production” is defined as such in contrast to Socialism, “the public/state ownership of the means of production.” Therefore, when the means of production (capital) are privately owned by either individuals, partnerships, families, groups, co-ops, communes, or syndics, they are a type of capitalism. Without a state,…

On Capitalism

Capitalism is “the private ownership of the means of production.” Does any parsing of that definition equate capitalism with statism? Let’ see. Statism is the doctrine that a person or group of persons may justifiably monopolize the provision of law and order, that is, be allowed to use coercion to prevent and/or regulate the provision…