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…
Tag: cooperation
Why Equate Government with Social Cooperation?
Guest post by Jeffrey Tucker. I don’t mean to harp, but the more I think about Obama’s now-famous speech (“You didn’t build that”), the more annoyed I become. If you listen to what he said, he can’t conceive of cooperative human relations apart from ridiculous government projects. He imagines that market activity is isolating, autonomous,…
What it Means to be an Anarcho-Capitalist
Guest post by Stephan Kinsella. Originally published at LewRockwell.com, January 20th, 2004. Butler Shaffer’s recent LRC article, What is Anarchy?, prompted discussion on the Reason blog and inspired me to set down a few ideas I’ve also had along these lines. Libertarian opponents of anarchy are attacking a straw man. Their arguments are usually utilitarian…
Chapter 13 – Planning vs. the Free Market
Table of ContentsPrevious – Section Three – Chapter 12 – “What is the Free Market?” by Murray N. Rothbard 13 Planning vs. the Free Market by Henry Hazlitt When we discuss “economic planning,” we must be clear concerning what it is we are talking about. The real question being raised is not: plan or no…
Chapter 12 – What is the Free Market?
Table of ContentsPrevious – Section Three – Chapter 11 – “I, Pencil” by Leonard E. Read 12 What is the Free Market? by Murray N. Rothbard The Free Market is a summary term for an array of exchanges that take place in society. Each exchange is undertaken as a voluntary agreement between two people or…
Chapter 16 – Agorist Living
Table of ContentsPrevious – Section Three – Chapter 15 – “Why Socialism Must Fail” by Hans-Hermann Hoppe 16 Agorist Living by Nicholas Hooton The idea of joining the Libertarian Party tempted me years ago when I first discovered libertarian philosophy, as I’m sure it has tempted many before and since. The Party website stared me…
Chapter 10 – Secular Theocracy
Table of ContentsPrevious – Section Two – Chapter 9 – “For Conscience’s Sake” by Carl Watner 10 Secular Theocracy by David J. Theroux Part 1 We live in an increasingly secularized world of massive and pervasive nation states in which traditional religion, especially Christianity, is ruled unwelcome and even a real danger on the basis…
Chapter 7 – The Origin of Religious Tolerance
Table of ContentsPrevious – Section One – Voluntaryist Resources 7 The Origin of Religious Tolerance by Wendy McElroy In 1733 the philosopher credited with ushering in the French Enlightenment, François Marie Arouet de Voltaire, published Letters Concerning the English Nation. It was a pivotal work. Although written in French, the 24 letters were first issued…
Chapter 4 – The Anatomy of the State
Table of Contents Previous – Section One – Chapter 3, “Fundamentals of Voluntaryism” by Carl Watner 4 The Anatomy of the State by Murray N. Rothbard What the State Is Not The State is almost universally considered an institution of social service. Some theorists venerate the State as the apotheosis of society; others regard it…
Chapter 2 – Coercivists and Voluntarists
Table of ContentsPrevious – Section One – Chapter 1, “Persuasion versus Force” by Mark & Jo Ann Skousen 2 Coercivists and Voluntarists by Donald J. Boudreaux Categorizing a political position according to some simple left-right scale of values leaves something to be desired. Political views cover such a wide variety of issues that it is…