Post by Skyler J. Collins. Originally written April 2010. What are rights? The purpose of this short essay, or collection of thoughts, is to explore that question. So many commentators on rights treat them as something tangible, such as: “We have rights.” as compared to “We have milk.”“Don’t tread on my rights.” as compared to “Don’t…
Tag: property
Voluntaryism, Crime, & Self Defense
Voluntaryism does not require that one be a pacifist, meaning the complete abandonment of the use of force. It merely requires that one does not initiate force or aggression against an innocent person or his property. In a free society, the first line of defense and lynch-pin of collective security is the personal use of firearms.…
The State is a Tragedy of the Commons
Guest post by Michael Suede. Some of you may already be familiar with the economic law called “the tragedy of the commons,” but for those of you who are not, I shall explain it. The tragedy of the commons refers to a dilemma arising from the situation in which multiple individuals, acting independently and rationally…
The Real Tragedy
…in this story is that someone thought they had the right to break in and take by force the property of someone else. Had they read Everything Voluntary, they may have had a change of heart. Give a copy to someone you know before they make this or a similar bad choice (say, voting for…
Defining a Free Society
Guest post by Brian Lobb. What is a “free society”? Some people think that having economic freedom while controlling others socially is freedom. On the opposite side, certain folks think that having social freedom while controlling their neighbors’ pocketbook is freedom. Neither stance is freedom when you really break it down. To have a truly…
Parents as the State
Written by Skyler J. Collins. Parents have a unique responsibility. They have the power to create life, and then the duty to protect it and raise it into a functioning adult. But can we say that this life that they create is theirs in the sense of materialistic ownership? I don’t think we can. If…
Chapter 27 – On Seeing Children as “Cute”
Table of ContentsPrevious – Section Five – Chapter 26 – “Why Do We Hurt Our Children?” by James Kimmell 27 On Seeing Children as “Cute” by John Holt We should try to get out of the habit of seeing little children as cute. By this I mean that we should try to be more aware…
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 15 – Why Socialism Must Fail
Table of ContentsPrevious – Section Three – Chapter 14 – “Historical Capitalism vs. the Free Market” by Richard Ebeling 15 Why Socialism Must Fail by Hans-Hermann Hoppe Socialism and capitalism* offer radically different solutions to the problem posed by scarcity: everybody can’t have everything they want when they want it, so how can we effectively…
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…