Trey Goff had an interesting article published at Mises.org outlining what he is calling a “voluntaryist constitution.” Can such a thing even exist? I don’t believe it could exist as anything more than an ideological creed. I thought it’d be fun to scrutinize the so-called voluntaryist constitution from my particular voluntaryist perspective.
Tag: coercion
Students for Liberty Open Borders Debate: My Opening Statement
The only principled libertarian objection to open borders is that the citizens of each country are its rightful owners, so they’re entitled to regulate migration as they see fit. But if you believe this, there is no principled libertarian objection to any act of government.
This Town Wants to Rob Disadvantaged Students to Build a School for the Rich
Every time I see a new government school under construction, it reminds me of the significant burden local taxpayers bear to pay for that coercive new institution. In the town of Brookline, Massachusetts, an affluent community adjacent to Boston, this form of government coercion has reached new heights. Last week, town officials contacted the president of a private college there to say that they were planning to take seven acres of college land by eminent domain to build a new public elementary school.
Centralization is Not Inherently Bad
Perhaps Wal-Mart or Amazon wouldn’t survive in a fully free market. Who knows. But to the extent that they face market competition, there’s nothing bad about their bigness or centralization that should make us want to end them. Any downsides present entrepreneurial opportunity to newcomers, and powerhouse companies are not safe forever. Markets are relentless.
My Homeschoolers Love Worksheets, Because They’re 100% Voluntary
Unschooling, or Self-Directed Education, means giving young people the freedom and opportunity to direct their own learning, following their own interests and passions, using the full resources of real and digital communities, without coercion.
I Am a Voluntaryist
I am a voluntaryist, anarchist, libertarian, agorist, and capitalist. These are legitimate, effective ways of accomplishing worthy goals without resorting to authoritarian control.
Does Action on Behalf of Another Tend Toward Abuse?
When the goal is my own, internally motivated, I will behave according to my own values for respectful and peaceful cooperation. When the goal is not my own, externally motivated, I will at first behave according to my own values, but resistance may soon have me acting contrary to those values. Why is this?
Unschooling and Workbooks
Just as we have crayons and paper, books and computers, yarn and playdough, magazines and watercolors, we have workbooks. They are nothing fancy–just the ones you can pick up at a local store or online (my gang seems to like Brain Quest)–but they are scattered around our home. These workbooks are available to the kids, just like all other tools and supplies, to use and explore as they like.
Voluntary Law and Order
People are not all the same, and they make different choices because they have different values, circumstances, and levels of understanding. Sometimes those choices are peaceful and wise; sometimes they are not. So what are the best ways to promote good choices and cooperation while preventing and providing resolution for conflict?
Self-Directed Education Is Instinctual
The key advantage of Self-Directed Education is that it empowers parents and children. Parents learn to trust their children’s natural learning instincts while tapping into their own instincts about how to best nurture their children’s growth. Children learn to trust themselves, retaining their innate creativity and desire to explore and understand the world around them.