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BOOK RELEASE: Unschooling Dads

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I am proud to announce the release of my latest book, Unschooling Dads: Twenty-two Testimonials on Their Unconventional Approach to Education ! Found here . “This is an important book. I'm glad you have it and are about to read more. It will help make many children's lives wonderful. When the parents relax enough to see the wonder in their children, then their own lives will improve. As each life is made richer and more peaceful, the family grows lighter, and happier.” – Sandra Dodd, from the Foreword. By current standards the world over, unschooling is a radical educational practice based on radical philosophical concepts. Should children really be given the freedom to pursue their own academic interests? The unschooling dads who have written for this book answer that question with a concerted “YES!” Discover their reasons for choosing this most unconventional of approaches to education for their children. $14 Paperback, FREE for Kindle, ePUB, MOBI, and PDF! Skyler.

The Voluntaryist Vision

What does the voluntaryist see when his values and principles have been realized in larger society? What does the voluntaryist paradise look like? Here is my version of the voluntaryist vision, beginning in the home with the family. Read the rest at EVC.

Might Makes Rights

All rights are property rights, so says libertarian philosopher Murray Rothbard. But property rights are the result of the use of either force or reason eventually leading to the emergence of customary law (norms and conventions), so says amateur voluntaryist philosopher me. In other words, might makes rights. Let me explain. Read the rest at EVC.

Persuasion, Reason, and Markets

Those who desire to see the grip of statism released from our world, the abolition of coercive monopoly government, to be replaced by a peaceful and rulerless social and legal order, must decide for themselves how best to achieve it. Unless we are to be discovered as hypocrites, it is my opinion that we anarchists must embrace tools and strategies consistent with our ends, a peaceful and rulerless social and legal order. That is, we must embrace persuasion over force, reason over aggression, and free markets over control. Read the rest at EVC.

The Monopoly on Crime

The difference between the state and an owner of private property is often made fuzzy by anarchists of the collectivist tradition. They see those who claim private property beyond what they personally occupy and use as a form of statism, and on that ground incompatible with anarchism. I think the difference can be explained as the state claiming and enforcing a monopoly on the provision of law and order, and by extension, a monopoly on crime. Let me explain. Read the rest at EVC.

Monopoly and the Free Society

One of the criticisms that voluntaryists receive is that in a free society, what's to stop someone from obtaining a monopoly on the provision of a good or service? If there's no central anti-trust regulator, a business could use all sorts of tactics and schemes to secure for themselves a monopoly in the market. Is this a valid criticism? Not really. Read the rest at EVC.

What are Principles For?

So much has changed in my life since I became an adult all those many years ago, I've had a lot of experience with the concept of "principles." I thought I'd put down my thoughts on what principles are and what they're for. Here goes. Read the rest at EVC.

LPL - June 2015 Update

In June 2015, LPL sold 408 books across North America and Europe. Here are the top 5: 139 copies, Profit and Loss  - Ludwig von Mises 29 copies,  For a New Liberty  - Murray Rothbard 15 copies, Boundaries of Order  - Butler Shaffer 13 copies,  Principles of Economics  - Carl Menger 14 copies,  Our Enemy, the State   - Albert Jay Nock LPL's all-time top 10 bestsellers are: For a New Liberty - Murray Rothbard Our Enemy, the State - Albert Jay Nock Principles of Economics - Carl Menger Economics for Real People  - Gene Callahan The Mystery of Banking  - Murray Rothbard Fascism vs. Capitalism - Lew Rockwell The Politics of Obedience  - Etienne de la Boetie Profit and Loss  - Ludwig von Mises Great Wars and Great Leaders - Ralph Raico Bourbon for Breakfast  - Jeffrey Tucker

Justice under Voluntaryism

People care about justice. Even criminals care about justice when they find themselves the victim. When people feel that they've been wronged, they desire to be made right, which can take the form of revenge, or getting even, or making their wrongdoer pay. What does justice look like under voluntaryism? Let's have a look. Read the rest at EVC.

Whites are Racist, Blacks are Violent

Race has not only been a topic of discussion around the nation lately; it has also been a topic of discussion within my home. My children have become acutely aware of race and where they fall on the spectrum of "color." Technically, they are half Caucasian and half Hispanic of Mexican descent, but visually, they are whiter than I. The only clue of their Hispanicness is their dark brown eyes and fluent Spanish. Seeing and hearing them speak fluent English, one would not guess that their mother is Mexican. In any event, race and racism have been topics in my house. My children are trying to make sense of these things. My fear, however, is that they may be getting at least two messages that I wish they rather not get. Those are that whites are racists, and that blacks are violent. Read the rest at EVC.

Immigration and Voluntaryism

Many hold a passionate view on immigration, by which I mean the immigration of peoples across national borders. Not so much, if any, is their passion for in-nation immigration. What is the voluntaryist view on immigration, you ask? Let's find out. Read the rest at EVC.

An Attempt at a Universal Ethic VI: Answering Objections

This series has been a delight to think and write about. I admit that I was a bit apprehensive at the beginning to get into this, but having done so it has been a weight lifted from my shoulders. In this final part I answer twelve objections that I received and hope my responses are sufficient. This will likely be a topic to occupy my time in the future, and I welcome all interested thinkers to give me their input on any part of this series. We can only grow by considering the strengths and weaknesses of any argument. Let us proceed. Read the rest at EVC.

Property under Voluntaryism

We live in a world of scarcity. There is a seemingly infinite amount of demand for a seemingly finite amount of resources. The same resource can't be used at the same time by different users. If it could, then the concept of "property" would never have arisen. As it is, scarcity creates the possibility of conflict, and so people who value peaceful coexistence with one another will allocate resources in a conflict-reducing way. How would this process look under voluntaryism? Let's see. Read the rest at EVC.

Rulers vs. Leaders

An oft-tackled question by anarchists is on the difference between rulers and leaders. In general usage, the difference seems clear, but there are some exceptions. Just what is the difference between rulers and leaders, and why should we care? Let's see. Read the rest at EVC.

An Attempt at a Universal Ethic V: Integrating Alternatives

Having presented my ethic and used it to make sense of the seemingly subjective nature of morality, the phenomenon of moral outrage, and demonstrated its universality, I thought I would look at a few alternative approaches to ethics. My goal in this part is to determine and demonstrate their integratability with my ethic. It should be noted, that I take only a superficial look at each alternative, summarized as accurately as possible according to my current understanding. As well, I do not claim that this is a complete list of alternative approaches to ethics, these are just the ones of which I am most familiar. Read the rest at EVC.

LPL - April 2015 Update

In April 2015, LPL sold 391 books across North America and Europe. Here are the top 5: 48 copies,  For a New Liberty  - Murray Rothbard 32 copies,  Our Enemy, the State   - Albert Jay Nock 23 copies,  The Politics of Obedience  - Etienne de la Boetie 19 copies,  Principles of Economics  - Carl Menger 15 copies,  Economics for Real People  - Gene Callahan LPL's all-time top 10 bestsellers are: For a New Liberty - Murray Rothbard Our Enemy, the State - Albert Jay Nock Principles of Economics - Carl Menger Economics for Real People  - Gene Callahan The Mystery of Banking  - Murray Rothbard Fascism vs. Capitalism - Lew Rockwell The Politics of Obedience  - Etienne de la Boetie Bourbon for Breakfast - Jeffrey Tucker Great Wars and Great Leaders - Ralph Raico Economic Thought before Adam Smith - Murray Rothbard

An Attempt at a Universal Ethic IV: Universality

Universality is an important component of any moral philosophy worth its salt. If an ethic can't be universalized, then it does no good, as it doesn't apply to everyone. I hope to show that the ethic as described in part one is not only universalizable, but when formulated as a maxim it approaches universal law. And further, not only a universal law for humans, but for all of animalkind in the rest of the universe. Read the rest at EVC.

An Attempt at a Universal Ethic III: Moral Outrage

Moral outrage is an interesting phenomenon. We see people experience it for any number of reasons, and often contradictory. What is moral outrage, exactly, and when is it experienced? And more, how does it fit with the ethic as described in this series? Let's find out. Read the rest at EVC.

An Attempt at a Universal Ethic II: Subjective Identification

Every person and every culture that exists (or has existed) seem to have their own ideas on what constitutes ethical and unethical behavior. How do I explain this apparent phenomenon in light of the ethic I introduced in part one? If ethics seems like a subjective determination, how do I claim objectivity? I do that by separating moral standing from identification. Let me explain. Read the rest at EVC.

An Attempt at a Universal Ethic I: Introduction

Morality and ethics is a contentious area of philosophy, but I don't think it needs to be. Rather, if we peel away the layers upon layers of religious and philosophical obfuscation, and return to original meaning, what we find is a very simple and basic conception with incredible explanatory power. In the following six part series, I will define objectively morality and ethics, give both abstract and particular examples of ethical and unethical behavior, demonstrate the acceptability of qualifying ethics, explain why morality and ethics seem to have a subjective quality, make sense - in light of my definition - of the phenomenon of moral outrage, attempt to universalize the ethic and integrate alternative moral philosophies into my framework, and finally to offer answers to the best objections I have heretofore received and will no doubt receive along the way. This is seemingly the most ambitious thing I've ever done, but if I don't try it will continue to occupy my mind a...