Tag: property

Freedom of Movement is a Libertarian Virtue

Parrish Miller

“Freedom of movement” is a libertarian virtue in any location which is not privately owned or where the owner does not opt to restrict movement. Moreover, just because libertarians advocate a fully privatized society, it does not necessarily follow that every square inch of ground will be privately owned nor that every property owner will choose to deny access to visitors and travelers.

A Moral Challenge

Editor's Pick

If government is really as necessary as most people think, then it ought to be quite simple to convince others to support it (or at least support as much of it as they believe is necessary). Instead of threatening people, educate them. Convince them. Demonstrate why they ought to contribute to government. Threatening them with force is not a way to answer their arguments against paying.

If Men Were Angels

Robert Higgs

Although I admit that the outcome in a stateless society will be bad, because not only are people not angels, but many of them are irredeemably vicious in the extreme, I conjecture that the outcome in a society under a state will be worse, indeed much worse, because, first, the most vicious people in society will tend to gain control of the state and, second, by virtue of this control over the state’s powerful engines of death and destruction, they will wreak vastly more harm than they ever could have caused outside the state.

Is the Non-Aggression Principle Self-Negating? You Decide!

Skyler J. Collins (Editor)

A person named Jared emailed me out of the blue about a week ago with the following letter. It contains a request for feedback followed by an argument that the Non-Aggression Principle as made popular by Murray Rothbard was self-negating on the grounds that the creation of private property is an act of aggression. What ensued were several letters back and forth in which we both flesh out the other’s argument and offer our critique. In the end we understood each other better, but alas no consensus was reach.

The Role of War in a Voluntaryist Society

Editor's Pick

Most voluntaryists understand that war is one of the most terrible, wasteful, horrific tools at the state’s disposal. There can be no doubt that the death, devastation, and warping of the mind caused by war are terrible evils. But the question remains: “Is war ever justified?” Before a coherent answer can be given, we should first define war. If war is defined as a purely statist activity, then war is never justified for the simple reason that statism is never justified. However, if we include private, large-scale military operations in the definition of war, then war could be justified under certain specific conditions.

What’s So Bad about Globalism?

Larken Rose

So nationalists love to rant and rave about the dangers of “globalism,” which seems odd to me for a couple of reasons. First of all, the meaning of “globalism” seems pretty unclear, considering how different people define it. If it is used to mean global “government,” then I oppose it – not because it’s global, but because it’s authoritarian. But some people use the term to just mean thinking that we should kind of care about everyone on the planet, without regard to politician-created lines and borders. If that’s the definition, then I – and all voluntaryists – would be “globalists.”

The Violence And Justice Monopoly

Editor's Pick

Almost all of us hold two beliefs which contradict a third near-universal belief. The first is that a state, however else defined, is a geographic monopoly of security and justice. One cannot appeal a ruling beyond the state, and whatever private providers of security and justice may exist, they do so in pronounced subservience to and supervision by the state. The second is that monopolies invariably cause high prices and low quality.

Legalization Works

Editor's Pick

Libertarians, though that term encompasses a very large range of ideas these days, seem to agree on one basic principle; do what you want as long as it does not affect me. That is why one of the core principles of Libertarian ideology is that individuals have the freedom to do what they want with their own bodies. Be it the intake of drugs, or a half hour on a mattress in the red light district, consenting adults should be able to do as they please.