Peoples in places with a single staple grain, harvested at the same time once each year, were easy for states to subjugate and coerce. Partly for this reason, most humans resisted extensive grain farming, even several thousand years after it had been invented, and opted instead for what Scott calls a complex ‘web’ of nutrients.
Tag: control
If A Doesn’t Get You, Then B Will
When one argues that of two mutually exclusive cases, one choice is better than the other, it can never be empirically validated. If you can measure one, it is precluding the other, which therefore cannot generate real data.
Aggression Justifies More Aggression?
“Well of course, as a libertarian I would ideally want the market to handle everything, but as long as government taxes, regulations and licensing make health care so expensive, we can’t give up Medicare and Medicaid!”
Will Virtual Worlds Destroy Humanity?
People who become consumed with virtual worlds do so because they find there the hormonal rewards that are lacking elsewhere. I’ve heard it said by such a person that he’s a hero and champion in his video game, but outside his life is complete shit. How does that happen?
Rulers Fully Intend to Plunder and Bully
The hurdle over which most people cannot jump is the belief that government means well, that it acts so harmfully only because it chooses inappropriate means for the attainment of its laudable objectives.
Immigration and Social Engineering
Social engineers of all parties and persuasions talk as though an economy is some kind of mechanism to be centrally fine-tuned and overhauled occasionally according to a plan. Even those who style themselves free enterprisers display the central-planning mentality when it comes to immigration.
Preferences Give Zero Authority
I find myself becoming increasingly less tolerant of people who attempt to use violence (including leveraging the violence of the state) to impose their preferences on others. In fact, I am fast approaching zero tolerance.
Lessons from Building Praxis – Part 10
In the first year of Praxis, there were several desperate-for-a-silver-bullet moments. Bewildering circumstances where the gum in the works couldn’t be pinpointed. Just a tough slog. Every step forward took Herculean effort. This can’t continue if we’re going to grow like we want to!
Cryptocurrencies and Governance, These Things are Happening
Over $93 billion dollars, and counting, have poured into the cryptocurrency market since Bitcoin was released in 2009. Millions of individuals have come together without central direction to build this worldwide phenomenon. Changes are happening every day that have global ramifications, all of which are happening without permission by governments, and often in spite of governments’ supposed authority to control other people.
A Moral Obligation to Pay and Obey Me
I’m a human being and you’re a human being. However, as the result of some rituals that other people did, and things being written on paper–which you don’t need to understand the details of, and which you didn’t need to be involved in–you now have a moral obligation to give me money and obey my commands.