Send her mail. “Balancing on My Toes” is an original column appearing every other Friday at Everything-Voluntary.com, by Angel M. Ethell. Angel lives in the Chicagoland area with her family: sons Teen (13) and Lil G (2) along with their little sister Cassie Pie (dog), and her partner Daddy G. She loves learning new things…
Tag: wealth
On “Should”
“Should” is another one of those potentially insidious words (like “have to“). It’s technically the past tense of “shall”, which means “duty, obligation,” but is more commonly used today as future tense. “You should do this,” is an example. Using it in the negative, as in “You should not steal from others” is innocent enough,…
Religion and Voluntaryism
Send him mail. “One Voluntaryist’s Perspective” is an original column appearing most Mondays at Everything-Voluntary.com, by the founder and editor Skyler J. Collins. Archived columns can be found here. OVP-only RSS feed available here. What is the relationship between voluntaryism, the philosophy based on the voluntary principle, that all human relations should happen voluntarily, or…
On Self-Interest
Non-libertarians deride libertarians and free markets types as selfish and greedy because we argue that people should be free to keep the wealth they earn completely for themselves. Keeping your wealth to yourself is a personal choice aligned with the values you hold. No less aligning to the values one holds than is the life…
Impertinent Obstructions
Nobody asked but … There are times when I run across a phrase so wonderful that I must share it with you. The natural effort of every individual to better his own condition is so powerful that it is alone, and without any assistance, capable not only of carrying on the society to wealth and…
On Utopia
Utopia means, literally, “nowhere.” This idea is thrown at voluntaryists and anarchists as an argument that their vision for society could never exist. Because Utopia is and will always be “nowhere,” then the Utopians are those who champion a vision for society that can never exist. Stateless, anarchistic societies have existed before, proving their compatibility…
Why Do We Value Things?
Send him mail. “One Improved Unit” is an original column appearing sporadically on Monday at Everything-Voluntary.com, by the founder and editor Skyler J. Collins. Archived columns can be found here. OIU-only RSS feed available here. My wife grew up relatively poor in Mexico City. She shared a bed with her three sisters and never went…
On the Political Means
The use of violence to profit was called by Franz Oppenheimer, in The State, the “political means.” In contrast, peaceful trade and other voluntary actions he called “economic means.” The Ruling Class are those whose wealth is obtained via the political means. The “Left,” the “Right,” “liberals,” “conservatives,” “constitutionalists,” “centrists” and more are indistinct classifications…
Crime and Punishment in a Free Society
Would a free society be a crime-free society? We have good reason to anticipate it. Don’t accuse me of utopianism. I don’t foresee a future of new human beings who consistently respect the rights of others. Rather, I’m drawing attention to the distinction between crime and tort — between offenses against the state (or society) and offenses against individual persons or their justly held property.
Our Enemy, the State
Editor’s Pick. Written by Albert Jay Nock. There are two methods, or means, and only two, whereby man’s needs and desires can be satisfied. One is the production and exchange of wealth; this is the economic means. The other is the uncompensated appropriation of wealth produced by others; this is the political means. The primitive…