The state fundamentally violates the non-aggression principle. Only its death can absolve its infringement, and I think this simple fact alone is more than enough justification for its termination.
Tag: statism
Liberty and Community Go Together
There is a form of community that is the whole basis of the market economy. It is an extended network of human relationships worked out in peace and mutual agreement. So far as we know, the capacity to form such cooperative relationships is distinct to the human experience.
A Critique of Stefan Molyneux’s Discussion with Stephan Kinsella on Schooling
One of my strategies in sniffing out unequal or one sided relationships is to always shift the players around. Lets say a politician asked the question “How do you manage the behavior of the people?” Your response would likely be something like “Who are you? I am not your subject to be managed!” Of course you are probably thinking, well this is the difference between a young child who lacks experience and mental capabilities and an adult. I would somewhat agree, but also have strong disagreement. There is a little bit more subtlety at work.
“Collective Punishment”
If the kinderprison teacher doesn’t know who is guilty of some offense (real or imagined) he’ll just punish the whole class. This is an extremely common practice in government schools and similar places. I think the lesson this teaches is different than the one authoritarians might imagine.
Valid Laws Are Universalizable And Immutable
The laws of morality have been described as Common Law, Natural Law, or the Golden Rule. They are something most parents endeavor to teach their children. Don’t hit and don’t take other people’s stuff. This is a very concise summary of recognition of self-ownership, property rights, and non-aggression. A law degree is not needed to understand basic rules of morality.
The Gruesome Reality of Statism
It is nearly impossible to calculate the amount of harm for which the state is responsible. Sure, you can theoretically count the dollars stolen, the people kidnapped and locked in state cages, and the individuals killed directly, but what is much more difficult to grasp is the scale of the harm caused indirectly by statism.
Worst Case Scenario: A Return to Statism
A common retort when I advocate a stateless society is that anarchy won’t last because eventually some people will attempt to impose their collective will upon others through violence and the state will be reborn. My argument is that—while my critics may be correct—anarchy (a world without rulers) should still be the goal.
If You Want to Coexist with Me…
No matter how I feel about a particular religion– be it Islam, Christianity, Statism, or the belief in “authority”– your beliefs are your business. As long as you don’t act on those beliefs by archating.
“Context” and The Fear of Principle
“Context” is a concept I have recently seen used a couple of different times to justify archation. As in, you just have to understand where “they” are coming from. They aren’t wrong, they just understand the context of things. Put yourself in the shoes of people who want to give themselves permission to violate the life, liberty, or property of others.
Doppelganger
It seems that Jefferson was still romantically attached to liberty; but his eyes and his dreams were on the arising French Revolution. He must have assumed he had left the American experiment in good hands. This is the nature of idea men — they are great at founding dreams, but they are terrible at (if not entirely absent during) implementation.