Guest post by Carl Watner. Originally published in The Voluntaryist, February 1988. The Constitution is one of the most revered symbols of the United States. Over the years, it has taken on all the trappings of sovereignty, commanding the loyalty of almost every American. The Constitution is “America’s uncrowned king,” because “it is above party,…
Tag: contract
What Social Contract?
Guest post by Alex Perales. One of the most common and most ridiculous arguments for the justification of the State’s actions is “social contract”. From the left we see them yell for the social contract to justify taxes on the rich to help the poor. From the right we see them yell for the social…
What Virtues Do People Need in Order to Be Free?
Guest post by Ben Speers. When attempting to form a free society, the absence of the state is only one piece of the puzzle. People must possess certain attributes if they are to take advantage of the potential benefits of voluntaryism. I have outlined six principles below that I believe to be necessary to the…
Business Keeps Business Honest
Guest post by William Vandersteel. Originally published in The Voluntaryist, February 1985. We take it for granted that the ordinary business contract — perhaps the most vital element of modern commerce — would be completely ineffectual without the vigilance of our courts and legal system. But as George Gershwin once wrote, “It Ain’t Necessarily So.”…
Technology IP, Homesteading, and Food Labeling
Send him mail. “One Voluntaryist’s Perspective” is an original weekly column appearing every Monday at Everything-Voluntary.com, by the founder and editor Skyler J. Collins. Archived columns can be found here. OVP-only RSS feed available here. This past week, Everything-Voluntary.com passed the 50,000 page view mark, a month short of our one year anniversary. This week…
Drug Law Nullification and 47%ers
Send him mail. “One Voluntaryist’s Perspective” is an original weekly column appearing every Monday at Everything-Voluntary.com, by the founder and editor Skyler J. Collins. Archived columns can be found here. OVP-only RSS feed available here. Welcome to the inaugural edition of “One Voluntaryist’s Perspective,” a column I really, really hope to write every week. The…
The Voluntary Good
Guest post by Lou. A question came up in the comments section of a previous article. “Do businesses always have the best interests of the nation in mind when making business investments or do they have the best interests in their business?” My answer came quickly, “No. Businesses do not always have the best interest…
The Basics of Copyright
Guest post by Wendy McElroy. I argue for copyright based on contract rather than upon natural rights because no natural ownership exists in freely expressed ideas. Ownership exists only in ideas that are protected by prior agreement or that remain unexpressed. What is the difference between a contractual and a natural right?Read the full thing…
Individualism, Collectivism, and Other Murky Labels
Imagine the following person. He believes all individuals should be free to do anything that’s peaceful and therefore favors private property, free global markets, freedom of contract, civil liberties, and all the related ideas that come under the label libertarianism (or liberalism). Obviously he is not a statist. But is he an individualist and a capitalist or a socialist and a collectivist?
Is the Free Market a Utopia?
Guest post by Nielsio. Jon Stewart asks: “If we didn’t have government, we’d all be in hovercrafts, and nobody would have cancer, and broccoli would be ice-cream?” Libertarians are not against government, they are for economic cooperation. We would like to expand the division of labor in as many areas as possible, and as such…