Liberty Roadmap

There are at least a few alternatives to private property that have advocates who would claim they operate on a voluntary basis. Maybe they contradict homesteading? That doesn’t work either. If we stipulate a norm against duress and institute a first user homesteading rule, we can still devise a rather severe collectivist property arrangement.

By Dave Burns Vote2 9

Can you find the error in this quote from Sacred Economics by Charles Eisenstein? Imagine what would happen if, all of a sudden, a magical technology were found that could double the productivity of every worker. Now the same amount of goods is available with half the labor. If (as in a steady-state or degrowth economy) demand does not increase, then half the workers are now superfluous. To stay competitive, firms must fire half their workers, make them part-time, or pay them less. Aggregate wages will fall by half since no one will pay workers more than the revenues they...

By Dave Burns Vote3 0

Scott Adams, the cartoonist who draws Dilbert, has been making predictions about Trump's candidacy since July 2015. He claims a 10 for 10 record, the only "pundit" who thinks he understands what Trump is doing. He bases his analysis on his experience as a certified hypnotist. He credits Trump with remarkable skills of persuasion. Why call it "persuasion?" Adams describes his experience with hypnosis as "programming the moist robot." He doesn't mean trances, he means convincing someone at a gut level, without brilliant (or even logical) arguments. This idea of programming the moist robot falls in the category of manipulation...

By Dave Burns Vote10 4

On Facebook, I saw an ancom ask to have someone explain how capitalism and anarchism can go together. This was my response. An ancap thinks that capitalism and anarchism fit together like time and space. They are orthogonal, independent. No, that’s not quite right, the state influences the market, so influences capitalism. My problem is, I don’t know how to define capitalism, and other people seem to use it inconsistently. Did millers own windmills under feudalism? Weren’t there shoe makers? Artisans and traders? Seems like the capitalism Marx complained about is all about factories, not private ownership of the means...

By Dave Burns Vote3 5

Hello world!

By Dave Burns Vote4 2

Criticizing libertarians Pet peeves griper griping

By Dave Burns Vote5 8

Below is my comment from an article titled Psychologists are known for being liberal but is that because they understand how people think? I agree with Katharine and Thomas that Prof. Berkman’s characterization of libertarian ideas is a bit off, and that he could just as reasonably adjust his ideas about what libertarianism implies as jump to a different camp. “[P]rotecting individual liberties was the highest purpose of law.” I can go along with this one. But “the government should have no role in shaping people’s behavior” needs some unpacking. Does a law against murder count as shaping behavior or...

By Dave Burns Vote9 6

In a previous post I attempted to paraphrase Hoppe’s idea of argumentation ethics. Now I wish to criticize my argument. First I have two general critiques, then I will go through the argument step by step. Hoppe would reject my restatement of his argument. My version of Hoppe’s argument depends on neuroscience, which makes it an empirical argument. If neuroscience turns out to have been wrong, my argument may also be wrong. Hoppe wants to base his argument on unquestionable a priori premises. So he would not accept my empirical restatement of his argument. I question the philosophical context of a priori justification....

By Dave Burns Vote2 1

In this post I update some rough ideas I discussed in my previous post titled "Who owns my brain?" Here is a sketch of the argument, followed by discussion. My mind and brain developed together as a cohesive inseparable whole. My brain cannot be separated from me and still be used as a living, healthy brain. The development of my mind and brain counts as an instance of homesteading or first appropriation. I own my brain exclusively as a result of homesteading or first appropriation. Non-private-property ethics entail that no one owns anything exclusively or as a result of first appropriation....

By Dave Burns Vote2 3

Historicism asserts that the logical structure of human thought and action is liable to change in the course of historical evolution. [Ludwig Von Mises, Human Action, page 5.] Below we will show that propositions concerning property justice must be compatible with argumentation. They can satisfy this condition in one of two ways, either by describing universal truths that apply to all persons at all times, or by describing arbitrary truths that depend upon the act of argumentation. So persons who wish to formulate a proposition that describes a principle of justice have three alternatives: Embrace incompatibility with argumentation and therefore...

By Dave Burns Vote8 5

Does Hoppe justify the private property ethic? Mar 4, 2019

Spot the sacred goof May 22, 2016

Is Donald Trump the antichrist? Jan 25, 2016

Explaining ancaps to ancoms Jan 3, 2016

Steve Rose of Anarchist Standard interviews Dave Burns Dec 19, 2015

Criticizing libertarians Oct 25, 2015

Another libertarian apostate Jul 19, 2015

Do I own my brain? Jun 15, 2015

Who owns my brain? V0.1 Jun 7, 2015

Universalizability, argumentation compatibility, and historicism Jan 18, 2015