One of the frictions that promotes change is obsolescence. I have looked, this morning, at a drone photo of Hong Kong. As a species blessed (cursed?) with rational problem solving skills, we seem at the same time to lack problem avoidance skills.
Tag: natural
Governing Least‘s Immigration Oversight
Dan Moller’s Governing Least barely mentions immigration. But it should have, because of its strong implications for this hugely important issue. Applying Moller’s approach, there is not only a moral presumption in favor of open borders, but a host of residual obligations that accompany even justified restrictions on immigration.
Dan Moller’s Governing Least
Michael Huemer’s The Problem of Political Authority is definitely my favorite work of libertarian political philosophy. Dan Moller’s new Governing Least, however, is definitely now my second-favorite work of libertarian political philosophy. The two books have much in common: Both use common-sense ethics to argue for libertarian politics. Both are calm, logical, and ever-mindful of potential criticisms. …
Giving Up on Alchemy
I could be wrong, but I suspect alchemy gradually evolved into science because of alchemists keeping the stuff that worked and tossing out the stuff that didn’t. The magic failed, but the occasional experiment succeeded, It was a process. No one intended to abandon alchemy; it just happened over time. In a parallel way, politics is alchemy; libertarianism is science.
Paasche Says Progress
If you don’t remember 1990, the modern world is easy to take for granted. The rest of us, however, know – or at least ought to know – that modernity is a living miracle. Though we don’t own fifty cars each, we still enjoy fabulous luxuries beyond of the budget of the richest residents of 1990. Stagnationists live to belittle these gains, but that’s not science; it’s perspective.
Words Poorly Used #140 — Corporatism
In its worst misuse, “corporatism” is given as a synonym for capitalism. Corporatism is made of fictions, while capitalism is a natural economic occurrence. Corporatism is the case where statism is used to control purely natural market activities. When well-meaning people complain about the excesses of capitalism, they are usually resenting the dodging of responsibility, legislatively by the state-licensed corporation or illegally by the marauder.
Randolph Bourne
Bourne packed a lot of ideas into his short life, and did much writing for someone who was repeatedly canned for being so forthright with his ideas. Today, his legacy includes the Randolph Bourne Institute and its instrument, Antiwar.com. Furthermore, Bourne is famous for the very durable quote, “War is the health of the State.”
You Can’t Have Civil Rights Both Ways
People who want their rights as gun owners respected often advocate a massive government welfare program, carried out through taxation and land theft, in order to build a border wall, which violates the right of association and the right of people to move about freely. They also demand a police state where you can be stopped and checked for your papers.
Robin Grille: Natural Born Bullies (15m)
This episode features an audio essay written by psychologist Robin Grille in 2007, which comprises Chapter 24 of Everything Voluntary: From Politics to Parenting, edited by Skyler J. Collins and published in 2012. He explores the origins of bullying.
Community, True and False
I distinguish true community and false community. The line that separates them is the locus of points at which people bring government compulsion to bear to compel those who disagree with them to fall into line or suffer punishment, the line that separates those who recognize and respect everyone’s natural rights and those who do not.