There is a sense of fanaticism that many experience when confronted with the facts of government's immorality and unnecessary existence. It is defended like a religion, except this particular belief involves mass enslavement of other individuals.
No system or absence of a system deserves such rigid adherence. Practice the principle of absolute doubt: free your mind from fanatical beliefs. Tell the truth, what do you have to lose?
You may lose your fear, you may lose your hope, but I don't believe you will suffer for very long before something new takes its place. Your mind needs space then form to arrive at function.
Give a man a place to express creativity, and he will fill it. Take it away and he will be crushed until it is replaced with a bigger space, then he will be delighted. Such is the way it is with statism and voluntaryism.
2010-05-31
2010-05-30
Tool Toward Peace
Peace and civility are exist right there alongside liberty. This is not a mistake, for when a new liberty is established, the people rush to provide for one-another.
So what can be done to expand the purview that the heart so longs for? I imagine the tool itself lies within your own being. It is the power of desire. The more desire you have for something to occur, the faster and more readily it does.
A sense of urgency is necessary for the establishment of freedom, yet that is not the only thing that we have to strive for. Actual work in the name of liberty is required, but common decency while doing that work leads to a more accepting populous.
So what can be done to expand the purview that the heart so longs for? I imagine the tool itself lies within your own being. It is the power of desire. The more desire you have for something to occur, the faster and more readily it does.
A sense of urgency is necessary for the establishment of freedom, yet that is not the only thing that we have to strive for. Actual work in the name of liberty is required, but common decency while doing that work leads to a more accepting populous.
2010-05-29
Dreams
Dreams tell us life is worth living. Without hope from dreams we don't have the persistence to finish what we start, the balls to finish what we find scary and hard.
So why not live like you'll accomplish your dreams? Don't have an attitude of "I'll give it my best shot for 3 years, and if it doesn't work out, I guess it wasn't meant to be!", have an attitude of being buried doing what you enjoy, where you enjoy doing it.
Subjugating your long-term fulfillment for your short-term euphoria is a recipe for disaster, but don't think it will be too hard.
Determine your goals, and the plans required to reach them. Starting now is important.
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
-- Lao-tzu
So why not live like you'll accomplish your dreams? Don't have an attitude of "I'll give it my best shot for 3 years, and if it doesn't work out, I guess it wasn't meant to be!", have an attitude of being buried doing what you enjoy, where you enjoy doing it.
Subjugating your long-term fulfillment for your short-term euphoria is a recipe for disaster, but don't think it will be too hard.
Determine your goals, and the plans required to reach them. Starting now is important.
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
-- Lao-tzu
2010-05-28
Overthrowing Ideas
"My argument with the pure anarchists is they think the oblivion is the path, from which will spring a healthier society. And I completely disagree with that. It would take decades, and millions of lives, if it were pushed over the brink tomorrow. We would never live to see the new 'better' society that would theoretically grow from god-knows how many civil wars, and an incalculable amount of chaos that would arise in all the major cities, generations of hostile MadMax civilization."
-- Bill Brasky
The above quote is fundamentally missing the point. My view is that government should not be thought of an existing power separate from man, but as a meme: an idea that spreads from one mind to another.
Remember: government is a particularly nasty mind virus because of the 12 years of indoctrination that virtually every student goes through.
Mr. Brasky is misunderstanding that instead of government being violently reduced in power and influence, it should be sidestepped by undermining the very legitimacy itself.
Aggression is imposed upon society by society. It does not exist in a vacuum of individuals.
-- Bill Brasky
The above quote is fundamentally missing the point. My view is that government should not be thought of an existing power separate from man, but as a meme: an idea that spreads from one mind to another.
Remember: government is a particularly nasty mind virus because of the 12 years of indoctrination that virtually every student goes through.
Mr. Brasky is misunderstanding that instead of government being violently reduced in power and influence, it should be sidestepped by undermining the very legitimacy itself.
Aggression is imposed upon society by society. It does not exist in a vacuum of individuals.
2010-05-27
Anger and Fear
Some respond with anger, some respond with fear; the best respond with calculated optimism.
You shouldn't be angry, it accomplishes less than reasoned thought. Spend the energy expanding your mind, instead of obscuring useful thoughts with hostility.
Fearing for the future also leads to little progress. Fortune favors the brave, not the cowardly.
Calculated optimism is the view I recommend. It is the realization that life is getting substantially better throughout time, and this trend is likely to continue if we work toward it.
Your mind is your most powerful asset against a harsh reality, so use it wisely.
You shouldn't be angry, it accomplishes less than reasoned thought. Spend the energy expanding your mind, instead of obscuring useful thoughts with hostility.
Fearing for the future also leads to little progress. Fortune favors the brave, not the cowardly.
Calculated optimism is the view I recommend. It is the realization that life is getting substantially better throughout time, and this trend is likely to continue if we work toward it.
Your mind is your most powerful asset against a harsh reality, so use it wisely.
2010-05-26
Sign of Truth
To know an argument is true requires something humans simply don't have: infallibility.
The brain is too fragile, the universe is too random, for a reasonable mind to accept anything as Absolute Truth.
However, that doesn't mean there aren't signposts that can point us toward better and more rational thoughts. Having the ability to discern the shades of gray is part of what makes me happy to be human.
Underestimation of this power leads us down dangerous paths. Always doubt your theories, but put them to the test by implementing them. You shouldn't be absolutely convinced of what works, but you may be convinced of what doesn't.
"I only look at backtested results to see what didn't work. It can't prove anything going forward."
-- craigr
The brain is too fragile, the universe is too random, for a reasonable mind to accept anything as Absolute Truth.
However, that doesn't mean there aren't signposts that can point us toward better and more rational thoughts. Having the ability to discern the shades of gray is part of what makes me happy to be human.
Underestimation of this power leads us down dangerous paths. Always doubt your theories, but put them to the test by implementing them. You shouldn't be absolutely convinced of what works, but you may be convinced of what doesn't.
"I only look at backtested results to see what didn't work. It can't prove anything going forward."
-- craigr
Annoying Argument
Some arguments are annoying.
One of these is the idea that because we have always done things a certain way, that must be the right way for them to be done.
The mistake is thinking history was planned out and then implemented. History is the culmination of people's experiences, and the reason things are the way they are is mostly just an accident.
Don't expect to hear this viewpoint from people any time soon, though. The conclusion is the trashing of the idea that some institutions aren't fundamentally illegitimate.
Government shouldn't be seen as a moral institution, any more than outright slavery should.
One of these is the idea that because we have always done things a certain way, that must be the right way for them to be done.
The mistake is thinking history was planned out and then implemented. History is the culmination of people's experiences, and the reason things are the way they are is mostly just an accident.
Don't expect to hear this viewpoint from people any time soon, though. The conclusion is the trashing of the idea that some institutions aren't fundamentally illegitimate.
Government shouldn't be seen as a moral institution, any more than outright slavery should.
2010-05-24
Peace, Liberty, and Civility
Do not be mistaken by some that claim to desire peace, for often times their 'peace' is at the expense of liberty.
For instance, if everyone was locked in a padded cell, there would be extreme peace. The issue is not merely desiring peace but instead the balance between civility and liberty.
Civility is a defining characteristic of secure minds. Insecure minds, such as minds that do not ever bow to a more correctly reasoned argument, are rarely civil.
When one is unafraid of being shown wrong, civility is easy.
For instance, if everyone was locked in a padded cell, there would be extreme peace. The issue is not merely desiring peace but instead the balance between civility and liberty.
Civility is a defining characteristic of secure minds. Insecure minds, such as minds that do not ever bow to a more correctly reasoned argument, are rarely civil.
When one is unafraid of being shown wrong, civility is easy.
2010-05-23
Free Your Mind
Your mind is the most important thing in your enjoyment of liberty. You may be physically restrained, but mental freedom is harder to confine.
Think of the person you want to be. Write it down, and take a step in that direction every day.
There's no sense arguing with others when you don't have your own mind made up.
Don't be afraid of what others think in your personal pursuit of freedom.
Think of the person you want to be. Write it down, and take a step in that direction every day.
There's no sense arguing with others when you don't have your own mind made up.
Don't be afraid of what others think in your personal pursuit of freedom.
2010-05-22
Reputations
The desires of others to interact with you are influenced by your reputation. Being mean makes business suffer.
There is a difference between feedback of transactions, and reputation ratings. Feedback, such as on eBay, serves as a way for the buyer to help or hinder the seller.
A reputation rating can be as complex as a system designed to boil down many different interactions into a concise statement, or it could be as simple as a number 1 through 10.
A rep rating is more abstracted away than one-off feedbacks.
What system, I wonder, will evolve to fill this need of knowing reputations?
There is a difference between feedback of transactions, and reputation ratings. Feedback, such as on eBay, serves as a way for the buyer to help or hinder the seller.
A reputation rating can be as complex as a system designed to boil down many different interactions into a concise statement, or it could be as simple as a number 1 through 10.
A rep rating is more abstracted away than one-off feedbacks.
What system, I wonder, will evolve to fill this need of knowing reputations?
2010-05-21
No Government Yes Law
When first hearing the proposition of no government, some immediately think people could kill without recourse, because there will be no law against it.
Law is not necessarily bad, the problem is when far away men create it and subject you to it.
Law instead created through voluntary agreement and subsequent codification is valid.
The problem is not law, but a monopoly government being the creator, maintainer, and enforcer of law.
Law is not necessarily bad, the problem is when far away men create it and subject you to it.
Law instead created through voluntary agreement and subsequent codification is valid.
The problem is not law, but a monopoly government being the creator, maintainer, and enforcer of law.
2010-05-20
Liberty and Justice
Justice should not be based upon the rules of old men many miles away, enforced by young men with a gun on their hip and an authoritative glean in their eyes.
No, justice is a personal thing, and should be ironed out between individuals every day in the ways they interact. Justice should evolve, just as all human relationships evolve.
Liberty is the power to do what you want with the things you have so long as you do no injustice to others.
To give lip-service to 'liberty and justice' via the Pledge of Allegiance without understanding them numbs the mind to useful concepts.
No, justice is a personal thing, and should be ironed out between individuals every day in the ways they interact. Justice should evolve, just as all human relationships evolve.
Liberty is the power to do what you want with the things you have so long as you do no injustice to others.
To give lip-service to 'liberty and justice' via the Pledge of Allegiance without understanding them numbs the mind to useful concepts.
2010-05-19
Disservice
When people choose the easy way out, the way nobody would laugh at, they do themselves and humanity a disservice.
Satisfying desires by appealing to the lowest common denominator, the thing that most would find amusing, yet almost never enlightening, leads from intellectual poverty to physical poverty.
Push the edge of the envelope and the envelope will get bigger and you will become more resilient.
Don't and your mind will wither and your liberty will be taken from you.
Satisfying desires by appealing to the lowest common denominator, the thing that most would find amusing, yet almost never enlightening, leads from intellectual poverty to physical poverty.
Push the edge of the envelope and the envelope will get bigger and you will become more resilient.
Don't and your mind will wither and your liberty will be taken from you.
2010-05-18
Freedom Roads
In a purely voluntary society, can roads function to meet the demands of the populous?
The fact is, roads really are just long stretches of property. There is nothing inherent to them that makes having government-run roads more efficient.
So why do so many people have a disinclination toward roads being privately run?
One issue may be because of the idea that there is only one shortest path to somewhere. The problem with this reasoning is that the shortest is not necessarily the quickest.
If too many people take a particular route, it becomes clogged, even if it is the shortest. By having different prices for different pieces of roads, they problem is solved. Liberty creates prosperity.
When incentives are not aligned with the people, they suffer unnecessarily.
The fact is, roads really are just long stretches of property. There is nothing inherent to them that makes having government-run roads more efficient.
So why do so many people have a disinclination toward roads being privately run?
One issue may be because of the idea that there is only one shortest path to somewhere. The problem with this reasoning is that the shortest is not necessarily the quickest.
If too many people take a particular route, it becomes clogged, even if it is the shortest. By having different prices for different pieces of roads, they problem is solved. Liberty creates prosperity.
When incentives are not aligned with the people, they suffer unnecessarily.
2010-05-17
Trade Deficits
A trade deficit occurs when imports are greater than exports.
The concept relies on the erroneous idea that statistics from arbitrary political boundaries are valid.
For instance, no one talks about the trade deficits between cities within a country, or between two households.
"If U.S. imports are greater than exports, they must be paid for somehow, and the way they are paid is that foreigners invest in dollars, so that there is a capital inflow into the U.S. In that way, a big trade deficit results in a zero payment deficit."
-- Murray Rothbard, Making Economic Sense
However there is a point that needs to be understood: so long as government is in the immoral business of dictating to the people what they must use as money, there will exist economic problems.
What individuals do not freely choose does not benefit them.
The concept relies on the erroneous idea that statistics from arbitrary political boundaries are valid.
For instance, no one talks about the trade deficits between cities within a country, or between two households.
"If U.S. imports are greater than exports, they must be paid for somehow, and the way they are paid is that foreigners invest in dollars, so that there is a capital inflow into the U.S. In that way, a big trade deficit results in a zero payment deficit."
-- Murray Rothbard, Making Economic Sense
However there is a point that needs to be understood: so long as government is in the immoral business of dictating to the people what they must use as money, there will exist economic problems.
What individuals do not freely choose does not benefit them.
Eating Gold
In the event of a worldwide economic collapse, how useful are precious metals as money?
For instance, there is an often made criticism against gold: in the event of Armageddon, it is better to hold guns and food rather than gold.
The problem with this argument is not the first part, where it recommends a personal supply of goods. The problem is that economic collapses don't ever last, and lead bullets and MREs aren't worth much in a prosperous time.
The truest thing said is Time Marches On.
The yellow metal has been used as money for 5000 years, and has been a part of history for as long as it has been recorded. It is valuable because of its rarity, beauty, and metal qualities.
In the first days of a terrible event, gold may not be the best. But as the days go on, the value of an ounce grows.
Is there a better medium of exchange?
For instance, there is an often made criticism against gold: in the event of Armageddon, it is better to hold guns and food rather than gold.
The problem with this argument is not the first part, where it recommends a personal supply of goods. The problem is that economic collapses don't ever last, and lead bullets and MREs aren't worth much in a prosperous time.
The truest thing said is Time Marches On.
The yellow metal has been used as money for 5000 years, and has been a part of history for as long as it has been recorded. It is valuable because of its rarity, beauty, and metal qualities.
In the first days of a terrible event, gold may not be the best. But as the days go on, the value of an ounce grows.
Is there a better medium of exchange?
2010-05-16
Four Systemic Changes
There are likely four ways the governmental system can change: Buildup, Breakdown, From Within, and From Without.
Buildup is the creation of a new system from scratch. Seasteading is an example.
Breakdown is what can occur before buildup. It is the violent refusal to be a part of an existing system, and is often a result of war.
From Within refers to changing the system by using its own laws to decrease the power it holds.
From Without means changing the minds of the masses so the very legitimacy of the system is called into question.
Buildup is the creation of a new system from scratch. Seasteading is an example.
Breakdown is what can occur before buildup. It is the violent refusal to be a part of an existing system, and is often a result of war.
From Within refers to changing the system by using its own laws to decrease the power it holds.
From Without means changing the minds of the masses so the very legitimacy of the system is called into question.
2010-05-15
Authority Should Be Earned
No one inherently deserves authority over another. Authority should only exist when freely earned.
The current structures do not operate this way, however.
If hundreds of years ago men signed a document removing your right to choose who you want to protect your property, how can that be legitimate?
Government, if it is to exist, is only reasonable when it is 100% backed by every individual it governs.
It's possible for that to be so, but only if the monopoly status is removed.
The current structures do not operate this way, however.
If hundreds of years ago men signed a document removing your right to choose who you want to protect your property, how can that be legitimate?
Government, if it is to exist, is only reasonable when it is 100% backed by every individual it governs.
It's possible for that to be so, but only if the monopoly status is removed.
2010-05-14
Government as an Idea
Government is not merely systematic violence, it starts as an idea.
The idea is that there needs to be a central power that orders people to interact in a certain way.
The end of government does not come in facing off against the individuals inhabiting it, but cultivating a new idea of liberty to supplant the old.
Instead of government, a free market in protection would solve the many injustices created by having a monopoly managing security.
The idea is that there needs to be a central power that orders people to interact in a certain way.
The end of government does not come in facing off against the individuals inhabiting it, but cultivating a new idea of liberty to supplant the old.
Instead of government, a free market in protection would solve the many injustices created by having a monopoly managing security.
Free Market Money
Money is a medium of exchange for products and services.
It necessarily must originally evolve from a commodity.
This commodity should be easily divisible and nonperishable, such as gold or silver.
Today we have a fiat money, one that is only backed by the guns of government, and not by the wants of everyday individuals. These paper dollars themselves are intrinsically worthless.
Given current technology, the future of sound money likely will be a card linked to an account that is 100% backed by gold or other precious metal. This would easily enable small transactions. Imagine trading .02 grams of gold for a loaf of bread.
It necessarily must originally evolve from a commodity.
This commodity should be easily divisible and nonperishable, such as gold or silver.
Today we have a fiat money, one that is only backed by the guns of government, and not by the wants of everyday individuals. These paper dollars themselves are intrinsically worthless.
Given current technology, the future of sound money likely will be a card linked to an account that is 100% backed by gold or other precious metal. This would easily enable small transactions. Imagine trading .02 grams of gold for a loaf of bread.
From Here To There
How do we get from here to there?
Agorism, education, civil disobedience, political action; each benefits from the others.
Awareness of slavery is crucial to squashing it.
A problem with agorism is that most see underground markets as illegitimate and scary.
Political action, while derided by agorism, can serve as a method of change, albeit slow and difficult. Government did not become massive overnight, and to expect it to become tiny overnight is naive.
Education, through direct interaction of individuals as well as through the media, should only be the first step toward greater action.
Civil disobedience definitely brings issues to the forefront. Without a solid vocal minority backing up the civilly disobedient, though, how could it accomplish much?
"Under a government which imprisons unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison."
-- Henry David Thoreau
Agorism, education, civil disobedience, political action; each benefits from the others.
Awareness of slavery is crucial to squashing it.
A problem with agorism is that most see underground markets as illegitimate and scary.
Political action, while derided by agorism, can serve as a method of change, albeit slow and difficult. Government did not become massive overnight, and to expect it to become tiny overnight is naive.
Education, through direct interaction of individuals as well as through the media, should only be the first step toward greater action.
Civil disobedience definitely brings issues to the forefront. Without a solid vocal minority backing up the civilly disobedient, though, how could it accomplish much?
"Under a government which imprisons unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison."
-- Henry David Thoreau
Institutionalized Violence
No reasonable person wishes to plunge humanity into chaos.
However, many unreasonable people wish to subjugate humanity to institutionalized violence in the form of government.
The problem is not merely that they don't understand, but that often times they will refuse to.
Favoring voluntary interaction over what ultimately amounts to slavery is not absurd.
However, many unreasonable people wish to subjugate humanity to institutionalized violence in the form of government.
The problem is not merely that they don't understand, but that often times they will refuse to.
Favoring voluntary interaction over what ultimately amounts to slavery is not absurd.
Be Reasonable
The best way to get someone to accept an idea in the long-term, is to show the reasonableness of the idea.
Another way is to show the unreasonableness of all other ideas.
"Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth."
-- Arthur Conan Doyle
The philosophy of reasonableness precludes arrogance.
Don't trust those that won't admit when they are wrong.
Another way is to show the unreasonableness of all other ideas.
"Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth."
-- Arthur Conan Doyle
The philosophy of reasonableness precludes arrogance.
Don't trust those that won't admit when they are wrong.
Monopolies Fail
A monopoly is an organization with an enforced right to produce a certain product or service.
Another company cannot compete, not because it lacks the ability in and of itself, but because it is forcibly stopped by the guns of government.
Without competition the quality of the good served has no pressure to increase.
Even the threat of competition drives innovation.
If that's so, how could government, which economically is defined as a monopoly on violence, be beneficial?
Another company cannot compete, not because it lacks the ability in and of itself, but because it is forcibly stopped by the guns of government.
Without competition the quality of the good served has no pressure to increase.
Even the threat of competition drives innovation.
If that's so, how could government, which economically is defined as a monopoly on violence, be beneficial?
2010-05-13
Education - Solution and Problem
General ignorance, sloth, and widespread belief in the necessity of government, stem not from western philosophy, but from an inherently corrupt education system.
Mull this over for a moment: Government educating the masses.
The monopoly on legitimatized force, teaching the adults of tomorrow how and what to think. Disturbing.
Education should be a liberation of the inconsistencies and falsehoods in one's mind, not just a building up of static information.
Mull this over for a moment: Government educating the masses.
The monopoly on legitimatized force, teaching the adults of tomorrow how and what to think. Disturbing.
Education should be a liberation of the inconsistencies and falsehoods in one's mind, not just a building up of static information.
Stop and Think
If a better system exists, why should tyranny be afflicted upon individuals?
Be it slavery or the unnecessary evil of government, it is senseless to continue a horrible system.
Be it slavery or the unnecessary evil of government, it is senseless to continue a horrible system.
No Last Word
"In truth, no man knows enough about any worth-while subject to entitle him to feel that he has the last word on that subject."
-- Napoleon Hill
In order to achieve a free society, you must understand liberty.
Afterwards to merely sit on the sidelines, though, is fruitless.
To win the game you must play.
1. Find out what you don't know.
2. Seek out the truth.
3. Collate the knowledge.
4. Share it with others.
-- Napoleon Hill
In order to achieve a free society, you must understand liberty.
Afterwards to merely sit on the sidelines, though, is fruitless.
To win the game you must play.
1. Find out what you don't know.
2. Seek out the truth.
3. Collate the knowledge.
4. Share it with others.
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