Table of ContentsPrevious – Section One – Voluntaryist Resources 7 The Origin of Religious Tolerance by Wendy McElroy In 1733 the philosopher credited with ushering in the French Enlightenment, François Marie Arouet de Voltaire, published Letters Concerning the English Nation. It was a pivotal work. Although written in French, the 24 letters were first issued…
Tag: values
Chapter 4 – The Anatomy of the State
Table of Contents Previous – Section One – Chapter 3, “Fundamentals of Voluntaryism” by Carl Watner 4 The Anatomy of the State by Murray N. Rothbard What the State Is Not The State is almost universally considered an institution of social service. Some theorists venerate the State as the apotheosis of society; others regard it…
Chapter 2 – Coercivists and Voluntarists
Table of ContentsPrevious – Section One – Chapter 1, “Persuasion versus Force” by Mark & Jo Ann Skousen 2 Coercivists and Voluntarists by Donald J. Boudreaux Categorizing a political position according to some simple left-right scale of values leaves something to be desired. Political views cover such a wide variety of issues that it is…
Chapter 1 – Persuasion versus Force
Table of ContentsPrevious – Introduction 1 Persuasion versus Force by Mark Skousen & Jo Ann Skousen Sometimes a single book or even a short cogent essay can change an individual’s entire outlook on life. For Christians, it is the New Testament. For radical socialists, Karl Marx’ and Friedrich Engels’ The Communist Manifesto is revolutionary. For…
15 Ways You Are Probably Wrong About Voluntaryists
Beautiful list by Kyle Bennett: 1. We don’t want to turn your government anarchist. That makes as much sense as accusing you of wanting to dye your hair “bald”. 2. We get it, there’s no historical precedent. That tends to be a common problem with new things, yet new things are created every day. 3.…
Compulsory Morality
“[S]ince men’s actions, given freedom to express their choices, are determined by their inner convictions and values, compulsory moral rules only serve to manufacture hypocrites and not to advance genuine morality. Coercion only forces people to change their actions; it does not persuade people to change their underlying values and convictions. And since those already…
Youth Rights, Dignity, and the Anti-Democratic Values of Public Schooling
Beautiful article by a high school student fed up with public schooling’s authoritarian model for education: As students, we are told that we are being made into an “informed citizenry” capable of maintaining a vibrant democracy. Indeed, we are told that we must give up most of our constitutional rights in the name of achieving…
Jesus, Anarchy, and the Golden Rule
While wrapping their socialism, statism, and megalomania is “family values,” [Republicans] rail against abortion while turning a blind eye to the mass murder of innocents committed by the US government overseas in order to get the Evangelical vote. Paul is the only candidate up there–probably the only national politician–who is consistently pro-life: anti-abortion, anti-war, and…