Evil is self-serious. Oppressors and statists can only live by fear. Fear is the only thing they have. If they are not feared, they are nothing. They are a threat only to the extent people fear them as such. There is nothing – nothing – done by the state and the dictators who run it that can be done if people do not fear them.
Tag: government
Flemming Rose: Censorship and Self-Censorship (1h34m)
This episode features a discussion with Danish journalist Flemming Rose from 2017. Twenty-five years ago, the pioneers of the Internet believed that they had created a tool to do away with censorship once and for all. Today, anyone with a smartphone is able to publish and communicate whatever they want, and yet, censorship still exists online. Just as the printing press, radio, and TV that came before it, while the Internet promised to be a breakthrough for freedom of speech, the government has found ways to control and limit our ability to freely disseminate information online. What does censorship in the 21st century look like? How does digital technology affect the way we communicate today? Is outright censorship easier to deal with than soft censorship and self-censorship? In this lecture, Flemming Rose explores these questions and more.
Market Needs Freedom to Flourish
The world’s economy is being damaged by this pandemic, or, more accurately, it’s being damaged by government reactions to the pandemic. The damage is adding up; getting worse with time. The only questions are: How bad is the damage going to be? And how long will it take to recover? I don’t know the answers;…
Technocracy is Evil and Inhumane
Fuck the cold metallic gloved dead hand of human chess playing technocratic ghouls who want to squelch and contain and document and track and sterilize it to death.
How Lockdowns Matter
People are taking many precautions voluntarily; but many other behavioral changes hinge on coercion and subsidies, especially after a few weeks of going corona-crazy.
Why Logic is Unpopular
The ancient Greeks spoke of three perspectives: pathos, ethos, and logos. From a pathos perspective, emotions and feelings take center stage. From an ethos perspective, reputation and tradition are what really matter. From a logos perspective, reason is what guides to wise action.
The Banality of Evil, COVID-19 Edition
Cuomo’s usual “large and in charge” act seems to be crumbling under the weight of the body count. Suddenly, he was “just doing his job,” maybe even “just following orders.” Sound familiar?
“Liberty is good, but…”
It’s as though they are desperate to be taken seriously by government-supremacists for some reason. Maybe to be allowed a place at the table. Or for a patronizing pat on the head.
George Smith: The Moral Right to Resist Authority (56m)
This episode features a lecture by author and educator George H. Smith from 1996. Smith speaks generally on the moral right of resistance to government and particularly from the historical perspective of the American Revolution.
Time to Let People Take Own Risks
I would expect, given the record of failure, this coronavirus experience would cause people to reconsider their belief in the credibility of government. From past experience, I know hope — or something darker — springs eternal. Most people are desperate to believe government is capable and credible in spite of 5,000-plus years of evidence to the contrary.