Podcasts about voluntary servitude

Jesús Huerta de Soto traces the Austrian school's intellectual roots from the Spanish scholastics to Rothbard, making the case that anarcho-capitalism is the natural endpoint of the classical liberal tradition.The Ludwig von Mises Memorial Lecture, sponsored by Yousif Almoayyed.The Austrian Economics Research Conference is the international, interdisciplinary meeting of the Austrian school, bringing together leading scholars doing research in this vibrant and influential intellectual tradition.Full Text version of the Lecture (Submitted by Prof. Huerta de Soto):Thank you very much to the Mises Institute and Joe Salerno for his kind introduction as well as for inviting me to deliver this “Ludwig von Mises Memorial Lecture” to celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of Murray N. Rothbard's birthday. It is the second time I visit the Mises Institute to deliver this most important lecture: The first one was almost thirty years ago, back in April 1997, when I delivered a lecture on “The Scholastic Roots of the Austrian School”. In this second opportunity I am very happy to have been able to accept Joe's invitation and to come with a very well represented retinue of ten of my colleagues and doctoral students. All of them are teaching as professors or making their research at our more than twenty-year-old Doctoral and Master Programs in Austrian Economics at King Juan Carlos University back in Madrid, and which is the only one officially approved and with full validity inside the whole European Union. You have already had the opportunity to hear from each one of them a detailed description of the so-called “Madrid Austrian Research Hub” and of all the activities we are developing every year, including the 54 Doctoral Theses on Austrian Economics that have been read up to now in our program. And here you have also copies of the English version of our main books published by Routledge, Edward Elgar, and by the Macmillan Austrian Series edited by my Madrid Colleagues, the German professor Philipp Bagus and the Canadian professor Dave Howden. And you will have the unique opportunity to buy these books that, as you know, have a hefty price of almost 100 pounds each one, at the almost “stolen property” and symbolic price of 5 dollars per copy, thanks to the most generous help of the Spanish Jesús Huerta de Soto Foundation that is helping to finance our participation in this important event.And now what I will do in the next forty minutes is to try to summarize not only my main contributions, but also “The Libertarian Vision of the Scientific and Moral Truth” as we see it from our Austrian School Hub in Madrid. And I will do it by focusing on a series of fundamental points.Precisely, the youngest of all sciences, Economics is the one that has provided Humanity with the most important scientific contributionThe first one is that Economics, being the last science to arrive, or as Mises said, "the youngest of all sciences," has nevertheless achieved the milestone of providing Humanity with the most important scientific contribution. For the first time, and thanks to Economic Science, human beings have discovered and understood that voluntary social cooperation, free from all institutional and systematic external coercion, generates a spontaneous order that cannot be designed nor organized by anyone, and that peacefully and without limits drives the prosperity and expansion of Humankind.This transcendental message of Economic Science, on the one hand, resolves the impossible antithesis of attempting to apply, within the realm of interactions carried out by human beings endowed with free will, the manipulative approach of external entities that human beings have no choice but to use, supported by technology and the natural sciences, in order to dominate the subject of the material world. And on the other hand, this is a radically revolutionary message: for the first time, it has been scientifically demonstrated that states, in any of their forms, are neither necessary nor viable; that Society, understood as a process of voluntary human interactions, does not need anyone to govern it, because it regulates and organizes itself spontaneously; and that the attempt to coordinate Society on the basis of social engineering and state coercive commands is impossible, doomed to failure, and gives rise to all kinds of distortions, social conflicts and violence, that continually hinder and block human progress.Economic science is generalized into a complete Theory of Liberty that makes it possible to reinterpret History and promote the expansion of civilizationThe second point is that Economics has been generalized into a whole Theory of Liberty, understood as the most essential attribute and requirement of human nature. Liberty means that all human actions are carried out voluntarily, based on the principle of non-aggression, and free of external coercion or violence imposed and organized from above by the always minority group of human beings who, under whatever title, exercise any kind of political power.Moreover, Economics dismantles and turns upside down the erroneous and biased account of Thomas Hobbes and his followers. Neither was the "state of nature" a terrifying situation, nor did a supposed "social contract" ever exist or was it necessary to create and maintain a State that would impose order and guarantee peace. What happened was precisely the opposite: natural evolution consisted, above all, in the spontaneous discovery of the great advantages provided by voluntary exchanges and peaceful trade. Systematic and generalized violence, war, and terror arose only with the appearance of States, as coercive institutions composed of the most antisocial and violent human beings, who wanted (and still want) to live at the expense of plundering those citizens who earn their living by working and trading peacefully with each other (Oppenheimer, 1926).Thus, Economics, demonstrates that what Étienne de La Boétie named "voluntary servitude", is an anti-human aberration to which human beings have been subjected for centuries. And that it is not necessary to continue with the resigned habit of obeying the State; nor do governments enjoy an aura of prestige (but are literally "stripped" of any attribute of intellectual or moral superiority); nor is the caste—or “praetorian guard”—of intellectuals, “experts”, and acolytes that surround states and rulers to be regarded as untouchable; nor should we allow ourselves to be seduced and deceived by subsidies or perks, whether supposed or real, with which they seek to purchase the will and secure the loyalty of exploited human beings, so that they will consent, voluntarily and permanently, to their exploitation and servitude (De la Boétie, 1975).Economics is the Science developed by the Austrian School of Economics, which should in fact be known as the Spanish School, as it has its origins in the thinking of our scholastics of the Spanish Golden AgeThe third point is that Economic Science has reached its highest level of development thanks to the Austrian School of Economics. As you know, our school is based on the realism of its analytical assumptions, in the dynamic approach based on the entrepreneurial, creative, and coordinating capacity of every human being, and in the study of the spontaneous and self-regulated order of the social process of voluntary human interactions (Huerta de Soto, 2008). The institutional and multidisciplinary approach of the Austrian School is also very relevant. As a result of the spontaneous social process important institutions emerge which, in turn, make it possible and drive it forward: Law and property rights rooted in human nature and discovered and developed spontaneously outside the state; the family, a basic and essential institution, on which the expansion of Humanity is made possible and consolidated; moral principles, which act as a true "automatic pilot" for liberty and which human beings internalize and transmit from generation to generation, thanks to the family and other community or religious institutions; economic institutions, and in particular, money, which also evolves spontaneously outside the State, and which can and should be considered the social institution par excellence, since by overcoming the problems of barter, it enables the exponential multiplication of voluntary exchanges and human interactions, within which the rest of the social, linguistic, moral, legal, economic, and religious institutions are discovered, shaped, and perfected.Our fourth point is that the first theorists of the spontaneous order emerged in the field of law, led by the great jurists of classical Rome. They were the first ones to understand the organic and evolutionary nature of the social process, and so they became, without being aware of it, the first economists. Their tradition was kept alive throughout the Middle Ages thanks to the Catholic Church and, through thinkers such as Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Antoninus of Florence, and Saint Bernardino of Siena, eventually came to influence the Spanish scholastics of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries gathered around the University of Salamanca. As Rothbard demonstrated (Rothbard, 1976) these thinkers of the Spanish Golden Age should be considered the most immediate precedent of the Austrian School of Economics, which, precisely for this reason, should be called the Spanish School of Economics. And in fact, these Spanish scholastics were already able to articulate the following ten essential principles which constitute the theoretical foundation of the Austrian School:Firstly, the subjective theory of value developed by the Bishop of Segovia, Diego de Covarrubias, who as early as 1555 clearly explained that, although the objective nature of wheat is the same in Spain as in America, its price was higher in America because there human beings subjectively valued it much more highly; from this follows the correct relationship between prices and costs set out by Luis Sarabia de la Calle, in the sense that it is market prices that determine costs and not the other way around, as equilibrium theorists mistakenly believe; the Scholastics also realized that equilibrium models and prices lack realism and theoretical meaning because they presuppose a degree of knowledge “so complex that only God, and in no case human beings, could ever acquire it” (in latin “pretium iustum mathematicum licet soli Deo notum”), as already explained by the Jesuit cardinals Juan de Salas in 1617 and Juan de Lugo in 1643, more than three hundred years earlier than Hayek could conclude that “a science which assumes knowledge that can never be acquired is not a Science”; also the dynamic concept of competition is fundamental, understood as a process of rivalry among sellers based on the dynamic conception of market processes developed by Jerónimo Castillo de Bobadilla and Luis de Molina in 1589 and 1597, and that has nothing to do with the static model of "perfect competition" of equilibrium theorists; and also the important contributions of the Spanish Scholastics related with capital theory, business cycles, and the effects of fiduciary media generated by banks; so, particular emphasis should be placed on the rediscovery of the principle of time preference by Martín de Azpilcueta, following what Lessines had already stated in 1285; as well as on the fact that bankers commit mortal sin when they operate with fractional reserves, creating bank deposits as a form of virtual money (or chirographis pecuniarium, as Luis de Molina said in latin) that only exists in their accounting books and distorts the structure of relative prices, creating bubbles and deep economic crises that ultimately "bring everything crashing down," as Saravia de la Calle and Tomás de Mercado so vividly explained in the 16th Century; and in short, the Scholastic's idea that it is impossible to organize society through coercive commands due to lack of the information that would be required to give them coordinating content; as well as the discovery that inflation is a hidden and very harmful tax that arises from an act of tyranny, since it is neither known nor accepted by citizens, which would even justify the assassination of the King according to the theory of tyrannicide, a contribution originally made by the Castilian Comuneros eventually defeated by the tyrant King Charles V in 1521, and developed by Father Juan de Mariana almost a century later [in 1610].This entire line of proto-Austrian scholastic thought also spread throughout the Americas, especially in the newly founded universities of San Marcos in Lima and Mexico City in 1551 where brilliant disciples of these Scholastics, who had studied at the University of Salamanca itself, came to occupy prominent academic positions. Thus, for example, we should mention the cases of Bartolomé Frías de Albornoz in Mexico, and above all the great Juan de Matienzo, who became judge and president of the Royal Audiencia of Charcas and Lima from 1560 onwards (Popescu, 1997).Finally, the doctrine of our scholastics did spread even to North America two centuries later through the books of Juan de Mariana, who greatly influenced Thomas Jefferson and the founding fathers of the United States.However, the southern part of the continent ultimately proved unable to neutralize the wave of growing statism and centralization that first came with the arrivals of the Habsburgs in Spain, and which was intensified even further after the arrival of the Bourbons with Philip V at the beginning of the eighteenth century (Martínez Marina, 1820). How different and much more prosperous and libertarian might the historical evolution of Spain and Latin America have been, had the statist centralism of the Habsburgs and the Bourbons not prevailed, and had the far more libertarian, local, and decentralized traditional representative institutions of the kingdoms of Castile instead remained predominant—institutions that were dismantled, together with Europe's first libertarian revolution, beginning with the defeat of the Castilian Comuneros at Villalar on April 23, 1521 (Leonard Liggio, 2025).The most important and far-reaching contributions of economic scienceLet us now turn, in greater detail, to the most important contributions of Economics, as developed by the Austrian School.First, human cooperation takes place spontaneously, without the need for anyone to organize it coercively from outside. This is so because human beings are endowed with an entrepreneurial and creative capacity that continually drives them to discover the multiple opportunities for profit that arise in their environment. Each of these opportunities embodies a previous discoordination in human behavior that remains latent until it is discovered and overcome by the corresponding entrepreneurial act. This entrepreneurial act always arises from a creative tension and interpretation of events of the outside world that is essentially subjective and, therefore, cannot be reproduced by any artificial intelligence algorithm; in other words, the same objective events can be interpreted in multiple ways, even contradictory ones, without it being possible to postulate which is correct until the corresponding entrepreneurial process is completed in the form of a subjective profit. In any case, every entrepreneurial act involves, firstly, the creation of information that did not exist before (regarding the profit opportunity that arose from the previous discoordination that had gone unnoticed); secondly, the transmission of that knowledge (directly to the parties involved in the entrepreneurial act and indirectly through a series of institutions and signals such as market prices); and third and finally, the coordination of the previous maladjustments takes place when the parties involved learn motu proprio, that is, voluntarily and for their own benefit, to discipline their behavior according to the needs of others (for example, when they discover that they achieve their ends more effectively by specializing and trading peacefully the mutual results of their efforts). The discovery of the essence of this pure entrepreneurial act, with its elements of creation and transmission of information and the spontaneous coordination of the previous maladjustments continually generated by human coexistence, constitutes the most important contribution that Economic Science has provided to Humanity, and explains why the spontaneous process of voluntary social cooperation that drives the multiplication of human beings and the expansion of civilization does not require any statist system of institutional coercion.Another essential contribution of Economics is the concept of Dynamic Efficiency, understood as the process of unlimited expansion of human creativity and entrepreneurial coordination that arises only within a specific institutional framework of moral and legal norms. This framework is the one grounded on the ethical principle according to which every human being has a natural right to appropriate the results of his entrepreneurial creativity; that is, a property right over what one has created and which did not previously exist, which is the most obvious and important human right. For this reason, (dynamic) Efficiency and Morality and Justice (properly understood) cannot be separated one from the other; or, as we might say, they are two sides of the same coin in the sense that only Justice and Morality induce and generate efficiency; and at the same time, what is dynamically efficient in economic terms cannot be neither unjust nor immoral. All of which, on the other hand, demonstrates the integrated order that exists in the social universe, and highlights the three levels of research (theoretical, ethical, and historical) that complement and reinforce with each other and are essential in our search for truth (Huerta de Soto, 2000).Finally, another key contribution of Economic Science is to have demonstrated the impossibility of socialism, or better, the impossibility of statism, in the sense that it is impossible for the State to achieve and coordinate what it promises for the following four reasons:First, because of the enormous volume of information required for such coordination, which the State cannot acquire because it is dispersed in the minds of the eight billion human beings who participate and interact in the social process every day. Second, given the tacit and inarticulate character of this information (and therefore its inability to be transmitted in an objective manner). Third, because the information that is generated is not "given," nor is it static, but instead changes continuously as a result of human creativity, making it impossible to transmit today information that will only be created tomorrow, and which is precisely the information that the organs of State intervention and the so-called “experts” would need today in order to direct society to achieve their objectives tomorrow. And fourth, and above all, because the coercive nature of State commands blocks the entrepreneurial activity of creating the very information which the State organization itself would need in order to give its commands a coordinating content. In sum, the State is always and everywhere violence and coercion; coercion blocks the entrepreneurial act of creation, discovery, and adjustment of discoordinated human behavior, while at the same time preventing the creation of the information and the emergence of free market prices that make economic calculation and social coordination possible. For this reason, statism is not only unnecessary but is also scientifically impossible.The impact of these essential contributions of Economics on the course of social evolution has so far been very limitedAll of these scientific contributions have so far achieved only a very partial, imperfect, and limited impact on the inertia of a social and political reality that has for centuries been characterized by the coercive power of States and rulers, and by the more or less resigned servitude of the citizens. And despite the very limited nature of this impact to date, which at best has materialized in a series of naïve and "liberal" revolutions aimed, with as much arrogance as lack of success, toward the impossible objective of trying to separate and limit the powers of states and rulers through political constitutions and "liberal democracies" (Rothbard, 2009); Humanity has been propelled as never before in those places and historical moments where it has managed, despite everything, to at least partially free itself from the State and open up some of the new channels of liberty shown by the teachings of Economics. Beginning with the Industrial Revolution, which was but the first chapter of the never-completed "Revolution of Liberty" inspired by Economics. And although what has been achieved in terms of prosperity and standard of living by the now eight billion human beings seems relatively significant—and indeed it is—we cannot even conceive of the standard of living and population size that could be achieved if Humanity were able to take full advantage of and fully implement the teachings of Economic Science.We can be few and poor in a context of servitude and submission to the State, or many and wealthy in a context of liberty (Hayek, 1988, p. 133). The globe is practically empty of human beings (the Earth's current population would fit into an area equivalent to that of the state of Alaska, with a population density equal to that of Brussels). And we cannot even imagine the prosperity that could be achieved in a free market daily driven by eighty billion, or even eight hundred billion, human beings. Economics explains and demonstrates that the increasing prosperity of an ever-growing population of human beings never results from deliberate and coercive State plans, nor from the egalitarian income redistribution, nor from increases in public spending, nor from subsidies, debt, or inflation, but only arises from the free market of the capitalist system. This consists of the process of voluntary exchanges among all human beings who, endowed with an innate entrepreneurial and creative capacity, are able to detect and assess, through the system of free prices, the relative urgency and necessity of each good and service, overcoming the relative scarcity of each and satisfying, every day and in the best humanly possible way, the desires and needs of billions of consumers. Entrepreneurs who succeed in this never-ending process of profit-seeking accumulate significant resources, which, in turn, are saved and invested in capital goods and new technologies that make human beings increasingly productive, boosting their wages and standards of living; a virtuous process of continuously expanding prosperity and population growth that, if not coerced or hindered by the State, has no limits.Therefore, it is crucially important for the future of Humanity that it be able to take full and maximum advantage of the lessons and essential message in pursuit of human liberty that Economics provides. But this will only be possible if we are able to unmask and carefully analyze the powerful forces of the pseudoscientific and counterrevolutionary reaction that has been mobilized to prevent the advance of the theory of liberty derived from Economic Science. Despite their diverse origins, they all converge on the same objective: to attempt to justify and preserve State coercion at all costs under the appearance of scientific legitimacy. They are driven by the "fatal conceit" (Hayek, 1988) of many visionaries, thinkers, and supposed "experts" who believe themselves to be clever enough to correct the spontaneous market order, of course, using the violence and coercive power of the State. Together with a privileged caste of rulers, bureaucrats and acolytes, they continually manipulate a Humanity that is sadly accustomed to serving the State. For all of them, it is vital that statism be maintained and that the message of liberty provided by Economics never prevail.Next, we will list the main reactionary pseudoscientific currents that have infiltrated Economic Science like a lethal virus and constitute, in Hayek's terminology, "the counter-revolution of science" (Hayek, 1955).Pseudoscientific reactionary currents opposed to Economic Science. The role played as “useful innocents” by many libertarian economists of the counterrevolutionary mainstreamFirst, positivism and scientism as pseudoscience. By "scientism" we must understand the improper application of the methods of the natural sciences to the field of Economic Science. Thus, while the natural sciences study their object of research as something external, measurable, and quantifiable, Economics studies the implications of the voluntary actions of human beings. And given the essentially creative nature of human beings, the supposed empirical "evidence" has, at best, only a superficial, partial, and always historically contingent value. In Bastiat's words, of "what is seen" —or rather, what is believed to have been seen— but not "what is not seen" (Bastiat, 1995); and at worst, it always entails the assumption, that human beings are an object of research that can be manipulated as the matter of the external world studied by the natural sciences. This inevitably introduces the idea that to improve the world, the State and its rulers must use their coercive power to manipulate and change the things they believe they see in their historically contingent "empirical photos." But these "empirical photos" cannot capture the underlying dynamic essence of spontaneous social processes, let alone what is already happening spontaneously to solve and coordinate every problem. Therefore, it is not surprising that from the very first steps of Economic Science promoted by the Austrian School, its most violent opponents were the "socialists of the chair" gathered around the German Historical School, reinforced in France by the empiricists of the school of Saint-Simon, the insane Comte, and Durkheim, who sought to create a new and alternative pseudoscience of society. And their unhealthy positivist and ultra-empirical influence has persisted to the present day, first through American Institutionalism and later through the massive compilation of empirical data, for example, in the work of Wesley C. Mitchell or Henry Schultz, the latter, as shown by Professor Salerno, having gone on to exert a decisive influence on his assistant Milton Friedman and, through him, even on the Chicago School itself (Salerno, 2023).Secondly, the pseudoscience of neoclassical economics is characterized by its claim that only its own approach constitutes true “science,” that is, the approach based on the principles of equilibrium, maximization, and constancy. Moreover, in addition to the lack of realism of its assumptions, it adds the reductionism of a mathematical language that has developed in response to the needs and demands of the natural sciences, but which is alien to Economic Science because it does not allow for the subjective concept of time or entrepreneurial creativity. Neoclassical economists develop their pseudoscience based not on real human beings of flesh and blood, but on "ideal types" that are like "robotic penguins" who, even in their most sophisticated dynamic stochastic general equilibrium models are limited to moving and reacting to events and State coercion as if they were characters of a sort of economic video game ("videogame economics"). Yet neoclassical pseudoscience, despite its apparent and ever-increasing sophistication, is not capable of accounting for the immense complexity of the real world and rebels against the idea of spontaneous market order in two ways that are equally harmful to human liberty: on the one hand, by promoting the coercive "social engineering" of central banks, States, and governments to use "fine tuning" to force reality toward to the mathematical optimum of their models; and, on the other hand, by labeling as "market failures" everything they believe they observe in reality that does not coincide, in their empirical studies, with their ghostly models of “perfect” equilibrium and adjustment (Milei, 2023); failures that, according to them, refute the "benefits" of the spontaneous order of the market and human liberty, and justify their elimination as soon as possible by a coercive State authority. Note also how neoclassical pseudoscience needs, and feeds upon, the empirical work of the previous pseudoscience, positivism, in order to justify its conclusions against human liberty and in favor of State coercion, so that positivists and neoclassicists join hands and end up reinforcing each other in their reactionary agenda.Third, Keynesianism and macroeconomics as pseudoscience. The very “macro” approach already entails, inevitably, an obvious bias in favor of justifying State intervention, aggression, and coercion against the spontaneous order of the market and human liberty. As F. A. Hayek pointed out in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech in 1974 (Hayek, 1978), macroeconomists ignore everything they cannot measure, specifically truly relevant economic processes and theories. At the same time, they believe that certain aggregate concepts—which lack genuine economic meaning—possess a “real” existence, that permits to collect empirical information or evidence that can be manipulated and statistically treated. Once again, macroeconomic pseudoscience goes hand in hand with positivist pseudoscience, and the two reinforce with each other in their counterrevolutionary reaction. Furthermore, Keynesianism is particularly harmful: not only does it flatly deny the coordinating capacity of creative entrepreneurship and the spontaneous market order, but it also builds as an alternative explanation a whole model—of course—of equilibrium with permanent unemployment, to justify the coercive intervention of the State in the lives of human beings in the form of all kinds of fiscal and monetary manipulations. Moreover, the macroeconomic and Keynesian pseudoscience feeds upon, and is reinforced by, the pseudoscientific approach of the Neoclassical School, to the point that, the so-called "neoclassical Keynesian synthesis" became, throughout the twentieth century, the main reactionary movement inside Economics. Keynesians and macroeconomists thus become the champions of that intoxication with statism, manipulation, and political power which constitutes the framework, orchestrated by governments and central banks, to which we have, regrettably, become accustomed and in which we are forced to live. This context repeatedly destabilizes the spontaneous market order, generates serious financial and economic crises and social conflicts, and continually hampers the prosperity and advance of civilization.We have left the quasi-religious mysticism of Marxist pseudoscience for last, because Marxism was scientifically dead even before it was born: in fact, it emerged with—and was theoretically demolished by—the subjectivist revolution led by the Austrian School of Economics. From the beginning, the Austrian School's development of time preference and capital theory revealed the contradictions and grave scientific errors of Marxism, while at the same time exposing its pronounced character as an intellectual fraud (Böhm-Bawerk, 1949). This intellectual fraud was historically illustrated by the collapse of the Soviet Union, and of virtually all other communist countries, after many decades of unspeakable human suffering for a large part of the world's population, all of which was perfectly consistent with the theory on the impossibility of statism developed by the Austrian School beginning with the von Mises of 1920 (Mises, 1936), and which was the final nail that forever sealed the coffin of the corpse of Marxist pseudoscience (Huerta de Soto, 2010).Finally, in this context, we must mention the destructive role played by a number of distinguished economists who, although they defend liberty and the market economy, could be described as a kind of "useful innocents" in Mises' terminology (Mises, 1947). This is so because, even though they officially oppose rampant statism and defend liberty, by accepting—even if only partially—some of the postulates of the reactionary pseudoscientific currents we have described, they ultimately end up, often without intending to and much to their regret, providing additional impetus to the statist reaction within our discipline; for example, when they insist on advising States with proposals aimed at making them more efficient and at helping them do somewhat better things that they should not be doing at all. By way of illustration, we should include in this category of “useful innocents”, for example, thinkers as the Karl Popper of The Open Society and Its Enemies (Popper, 1966, p. 366), who came to admire the “scientific capacity” and even the “humanism” of Karl Marx, and who proposed a statist strategy of “piecemeal social engineering”; or George Stigler, when he claimed that only empirical evidence could determine which economic system, socialism or capitalism, might function (Stigler, 1975, pp. 1-13); and, more generally, the members of the Chicago School, led by Gary Becker and Milton Friedman. Becker when defending that only economics developed within the strict limits of equilibrium, constancy, and maximization, typical of the neoclassical pseudoscience, constitutes true "economic science." And even more serious could be considered the case of Milton Friedman, whose very sincere love of liberty and intense and popular media support for free markets stand in sharp contrast to his pseudoscientific approach based on the aggregate method of economics of Keynesian origin, on positivist empiricism, and on the full acceptance of the unrealism of assumptions. Only in this way it can be explained Friedman's litany of scientific errors which, much to his regret, have invariably ended up reinforcing statist interventionism, to the point that Hayek himself was forced to conclude that after Keynes's The General Theory, the book that has done the greatest harm to Economic Science has been Friedman's Essays in Positive Economics (Hayek, 1994, pp. 145).The failure of democracy and classical liberalism: the triumph of statismAs we see, many classical liberals and advocates of liberal democracy have also acted as "useful innocents." The fatal error of classical liberals lies in the failure to realize that their program is theoretically impossible, because it incorporates within itself the seeds of its own destruction, precisely to the extent that it considers necessary and accepts the existence of a State (even if it is "minimal") understood as the monopolistic agency of institutional coercion. Therefore, the great error of classical liberals is very basic: they believe in a program of political action and economic doctrine that aims to limit the power of the State, while at the same time accepting it and even considering state's existence necessary. However Economic Science has already shown that the State is unnecessary, that statism (even in its minimal form) is theoretically impossible, and that, given human nature, once the State exists, it is impossible to limit its power. On the other hand, liberal democracy is a concept as naïve as it is impossible. Mises already warned us that democracy could only function if all its participants accepted the classical liberal principles, which is impossible because democracy itself encourages and amplifies vote-buying and the partisan use of power. So, the inevitable conclusion is that "liberal democracy" is a contradiction in terms as absurd as speaking (following Anthony de Jasay) of a “square circle,” of “hot snow,” or of a “virgin prostitute” (A. de Jasay, 1990). And even Hayek considered democracy unworkable if it is understood as the exercise of absolute power by majorities (Kratos in classical Greek). It should therefore come as no surprise that democracy once and again tends to be a perverse system based on lying and buying votes with money stolen through taxation.The fact is that the State attracts like a magnet the worst passions and vices of human nature, for instance, when individuals try to obtain rents produced by others using the State's coercive power. Moreover, the combined effect of the privileged groups, the phenomena of governmental myopia and vote-buying, the megalomaniacal character of politicians, and the irresponsibility and blindness of bureaucracies generate a dangerous, unstable and explosive cocktail, continually shaken by social, economic, and political crises which, paradoxically, are always used by the political caste to justify further doses of intervention and statism that, instead of solving problems, further aggravate them. Statism therefore corrupts the entire social body and at the same time blocks the spontaneous and free market solutions of social and economic problems.In fact, the State has become the "idol" that almost everyone turns to and worships. Statolatry is the most serious and dangerous social disease of our time. We are educated to believe that all problems can and must be detected and solved by the State. Our destiny depends on the State, and the politicians who control it are expected to guarantee everything our well-being may require. Human beings remain immature and rebel against their own creative nature, which makes their future always uncertain. They demand a crystal ball that assures them not only knowing what will happen, but also that any problems that arise will be solved for them. This "infantilization" of the masses is encouraged by politicians, as it justifies their own existence and ensures their popularity, position of dominance, and capacity to control. In addition, a whole legion of intellectuals, so-called "experts," and social engineers join in this arrogant intoxication of power. Not even the Church and the most respectable religious denominations have been able to realize that statolatry today constitutes the principal threat to the free, moral, and responsible human being; that the State is a false idol of immense power, worshipped by all, and that does not allow Humanity to be free from its control or have moral or religious loyalties beyond those the state can dominate. Furthermore, it is kept hidden from the public that the state is the true source of social conflicts and evils, and "scapegoats" (such as "capitalism" or private property) are blamed for the problems, and they become the goal of the most serious condemnations, even from moral and religious leaders, almost none of whom have realized the deception or dared to denounce that statolatry is the main threat in the present century to religion, morality, and, therefore, to human civilization.Perhaps the main exception within the Church is included in the brilliant biography of Jesus of Nazareth written by Benedict XVI. That the State and political power constitute the institutional incarnation of the Antichrist should be obvious to anyone with a minimal knowledge of history who reads the former Pope's considerations on the most serious temptation that the Evil One can present to us (and I quote Ratzinger literally): "The tempter is not so crude as to propose to us directly the worship of the devil. He merely proposes that we opt for the rational solution, that we prefer a planned and organized world in which God may have a place as a private spiritual matter, but must not be allowed to interfere in our essential purposes. Soloviev attributes to the Antichrist a book entitled The Open Road to World Peace and Prosperity; it becomes the new Bible, and its core message is the worship of well-being and rational planning," by the state (Ratzinger, 2007). And so, we should not be surprised that, for example, the great author of The Lord of the Rings, J. R. Tolkien, whose Catholic anarchism I fully share, went so far as to say that he would arrest anyone for simply daring to pronounce the word "State." Because the State is, always and everywhere, a reality of violence and systematic coercion against the most intimate essence of the human being, which is his capacity to act freely, creatively, and spontaneously; and so, it is unavoidable to conclude that the State is essentially immoral and that statism constitutes the principal threat to humankind.A theological digression: the dismantling of statism as a logical necessity inseparable from the work of GodAnd almost without realizing it, we can go ahead with a theological digression on how dismantling the State is a logical and moral necessity inseparable from the work of God. I fully understand that referring to God in this conference may come as a shock to many of those present, but I would ask that even those who do not believe in God, at least for dialectical purposes, make an effort of imagination and, for the next few minutes, imagine that God does indeed exist.And what do we mean by God? We must understand God to be a Supreme Being, Creator out of love for all things. And the most important creature that God has created is precisely the human being: in His image and likeness. And if there is a point of connection between God and man, it is precisely in the creative entrepreneurial ability: the capacity to discover, to see, and to create new things, goals and actions. But now I am going to go one step further and attempt to demonstrate that God is not only the Supreme, loving Creator of all things, but that—moreover—God is libertarian.And what does it mean to say that God is libertarian? It means that God, the Lord of all the Universe, has absolute power over it, and yet He chooses not to use force, but always leaves his creatures free. To the point that He gives human beings the freedom to rebel against Him; even though, again and again, God forgives human beings and allows them to rise up and begin anew.God always lets the universe He has created, flow in a spontaneous manner ("laissez faire, laissez passer, le monde va de lui même" could be the motto of our libertarian God). And this despite the fact that human beings tempt God again and again and demand that He manifest His absolute power, that He give us clear and indisputable signs of His existence and supreme power in order for us to believe in Him. But of course, God does not accept our challenge. Why? Because love and liberty are inseparable, and a forced conversion, for example by an evident cataclysm, would be completely contrary to that liberty with which God has created human beings out of love.Moreover, the Kingdom of God is not of this world; Jesus himself says this to a fearful Roman state official, who was also in charge of judging him: "My kingdom is not of this world." Does this mean that there are two types of kingdoms? The kingdoms of this world or States, which would be legitimate at their own level (remember "render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's"), and the Kingdom of God, of ("render unto God the things that are God's"). That is the standard interpretation that has prevailed until now, but I think is completely wrong. The Kingdom of God—which is the exact opposite of the kingdoms or States of this world—never makes systematic use of violence and coercion: it is a Kingdom that has already come to us and, moreover, has been given to us freely, in an act of immense mercy and love (Deus caritas est). And just as the hateful institution of slavery came to an end, the Kingdom of God will also dismantle the kingdoms of this world, the states of this world, or as St. Paul said, of every principality, power, and glory (Ephesians 1:21-23), because God is libertarian and man is made in the image and likeness of God.Ludwig von Mises, in his book Interventionism, introduced the term "destructionism" to refer to the economic and social effects of statism. If Evil (represented by statist destructionism in Mises' terminology) were to prevail, the human race and civilization would have disappeared long ago. The fact that, despite everything and the immense power of seduction of statism over humankind, the process of social cooperation continues to unfold and even prosper in certain historical periods and geographical areas, is a clear manifestation that God does not abandon the world nor leave libertarians alone in their struggle against the Evil; and that Good, represented by liberty, the principle of non-aggression, the spontaneous order of the market, entrepreneurial creativity and coordination, and above all, moral principles, always with God's help, prevails and is capable of overcoming Evil, represented by the fatal conceit of the statist ideal and the destruction that it produces.And now I will finish with some thoughts on anarcho-capitalism as the only possible system of social cooperation truly compatible with human natureAnd now I will finish with some thoughts on anarcho-capitalism as the only possible system of social cooperation truly compatible with human nature. The most important intellectual and moral event that is taking place nowadays is the full fusion between Christianity and anarcho-capitalism. Because anarcho-capitalism is the only possible system of social cooperation that is truly compatible with human nature. Anarcho-capitalism is the purest representation of the spontaneous market order in which all services, including law, justice, and public order, are provided through a voluntary process of social cooperation. In this system, no area is closed to the drive of human creativity and entrepreneurial coordination; efficiency and justice in the resolution of problems are simultaneously enhanced, while the conflicts, inefficiencies, and discoordinations generated by the State are eradicated at their root.The progressive abolition of States and their gradual replacement by a dynamic network of private agencies different legal systems, and providing all kinds of prevention and defense services, constitutes the most important social transformation that will take place in the twenty first century. Without forgetting that exactly what prevents us from knowing with precision what the future without the state will look like, the creative nature of entrepreneurship, is what gives us the peace of mind of knowing that any problem will tend to be resolved and overcome, once the entrepreneurial effort and creativity of Humanity are devoted to its solution (Kirzner, 1985).Therefore, the revolution against the “Old Régime” carried out in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by the old classical liberals, today finds its natural continuation in the anarcho-capitalist revolution of the twenty-first century. The message of anarcho-capitalism is clearly revolutionary. Revolutionary in terms of its goal: the dismantling of the State and its replacement by a competitive market process consisting of a network of private agencies, associations, and organizations. And revolutionary in terms of its means, especially in the scientific, economic-social, and political fields:a) First, Scientific revolution, in the field of Economic Science, which becomes the general theory of spontaneous market order extended to all social areas. And by contrast and opposition, the theory and analysis of the effects of social discoordination generated by statism in any sphere in which it operates, as well as the study of the transition process from the State towards liberty.b) Second, an Economic and social revolution, as we cannot even imagine today the immense human achievements and discoveries that could be made in an entrepreneurial environment totally free from statism. Today, and despite continuous governmental harassment, an unknown civilization is already developing, with a degree of complexity that is beyond the reach and control of the state, and which will achieve unlimited expansion once it manages to completely rid itself of statism. And when human beings become more and more aware of the perverse nature of the State that restricts them, and of the immense possibilities that are frustrated each day when the State blocks the driving force of their entrepreneurial creativity, the social demand to reform and dismantle the State will multiply creating a future that is largely unknown to us but that will elevate human civilization to heights that we cannot even imagine today.c) And finally, a political revolution in which, although day-to-day political struggle is important, it should not be the top priority. It is true that the least interventionist alternatives must always be supported, in clear alliance with the efforts of classical liberals in their long term impossible democratic limitation of the State (including reforms such as those proposed by Hayek in the third volume of Law, Legislation, and Liberty). But the anarcho-capitalist does not stop at this task, for he knows that he can and must do much more. He knows that the ultimate goal is the total dismantling of the State, and this goal leads all his imagination and political action in everyday life. And here we cannot fail to mention the unprecedented impact of our disciple and follower of our Master Program in Austrian Economics in Madrid, the President of Argentina, Javier Milei, who has done more than anyone else before to disseminate the principles of the Austrian School and the anarcho-capitalist ideal. Principles that he never ceases to quote and explain and defend once and again in all his public appearances, from the United Nations to the Davos Forum; and in all his meetings with other Heads of State, universities, and parliaments, to whom he even gives copies of the most important Austrian works by Mises, Hayek and even myself, as he did, for example, with the two popes, Francis and Leo XIV, with the French President Macron, the Italian Prime Minister Meloni, and even with Elon Musk. For us, it is a great honor that Milei has, to a large extent, emerged from the Austrian School of Madrid and that he continually keeps drawing inspiration from us. This is, without a doubt, much more important than incremental political steps in the right direction—which should of course be welcomed—and that should never fall into a political pragmatism that could betray the ultimate goal of achieving the end of the State (Huerta de Soto, 2010).And all this with tireless enthusiasm in the search for scientific and moral truth, an attitude that, inspired by the immortal work of Miguel de Cervantes, we could describe as follows: "It matters not whether they be giants or windmills, when the plume of our helm is stirred by the winds of tenacity and faith." And always creating a future that, although it may seem distant today, may at any moment witness giant steps that will surprise even the most optimistic among us. History has entered into an accelerated process of change which, although it will never stop, will open a whole new chapter when humankind finally succeeds in ridding itself definitively of the State, reducing it to no more than a dark historical relic of tragic memory.Thank you very much.REFERENCESBASTIAT, Frédéric: Selected Essays on Political Economy, Foundation for Economic Education, New York 1995.DE LA BOÉTIE, Étienne: The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude, Free Life Editions, Nueva York 1975.BÖHM-BAWERK, Eugen von: Karl Marx and the Close of His System, Augustus M. Kelley, Nueva York 1949."The Exploitation Theory," Capital and Interest, Vol. I: History and Critique of Interest Theories, Libertarian Press, South Holland 1959.HAYEK, Friedrich A. von: The Counter-Revolution of Science, Free Press, New York, 1955.Hayek on Hayek: An Autobiographical Dialogue (eds. Stephen Kresge and Leif Wenar), University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1994.Law, Legislation and Liberty, Vol. III: The Political Order of a Free People, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London 1979.The Fatal Conceit: the Errors of Socialism, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1988."The Pretence of Knowledge," in New Studies in Philosophy, Politics, Economics and the History of Ideas, University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1978.HUERTA DE SOTO, Jesús: Socialism, Economic Calculation and Entrepreneurship, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham y Northampton 2010."A Hayekian Strategy to Implement Free Market Reforms," in Theory of Dynamic Efficiency, Routledge, Oxfordshire, 2010.Proyecto Docente, Chapter I: "Ciencia y Economía," Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid 2000.The Austrian School: Market Order and Creative Entrepreneurship, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham y Northampton 2008.DE JASAY, Anthony: Market Socialism: A Scrutiny, published by the Institute of Economic Affairs, Occasional Paper no. 84, 1990.KIRZNER, Israel: "The Perils of Regulation: A Market Process Approach" in Discovery and the Capitalist Process, University of Chicago Press, 1985.LIGGIO, Leonard: "The Hispanic tradition of Liberty," published in Procesos de Mercado: Revista Europea de Economía Política, vol. XXII, nº 1, Summer 2025, pp. 403-420.MARTÍNEZ MARINA, Francisco: Teoría de las cortes o grandes juntas nacionales de los reinos de León y Castilla, Collado, 1820.MILEI, Javier: Capitalism, Socialism, and the Neoclassical Trap, in The Emergence of a Tradition: Essays in Honor of Jesús Huerta de Soto, Volume II (editors Howden, D., Bagus, P.), Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2023.MISES, Ludwig von: Socialism: An Economic and Sociological Analysis, Jonathan Cape, London 1936.Planned Chaos, Foundation for Economic Education, Irvington-on-Hudson 1947.OPPENHEIMER, Franz: The State, Vanguard Press, Nueva York 1926.POPESCU, Oreste: Studies in the History of Latin American Economic Thought, Routledge, London 1997.POPPER, Karl: The Open Society and its Enemies, Princeton University Press, Princeton 1966.RATZINGER, Joseph. Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration. Translated by Adrian J. Walker. Doubleday, New York, 2007.ROTHBARD, Murray N.: "New Light on the Prehistory of the Austrian School," in The Foundations of Modern Austrian Economics (editor Edwin G. Dolan), Sheed and Ward, Kansas City 1976, pp. 52–74.Anatomy of the State, Ludwig von Mises Institute, Auburn 2009.SALERNO, Joseph. "Milton Friedman's Views on Method and Money Reconsidered in Light of the Housing Bubble", in The Emergence of a Tradition: Essays in Honor of Jesús Huerta de Soto, Volume I, (editors Howden, D., Bagus, P.), Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2023.STIGLER, George: The Citizen and the State, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1975, pp. 1-13.

In this episode, I chat with Paul Tarantino and John Burnett—two of the most dynamic Bitcoiners I know—about the hidden frameworks of power and consent that shape our world. If you're ready to step outside The Truman Show and see the matrix for what it really is, you won't want to miss this mind-expanding conversation.  ––– Offers & Discounts ––– Get 10% off your ticket for BitcoinDay in Tampa! Use the promo code MATRIX at https://bitcoinday.io/register Theya is the world's simplest Bitcoin self-custody solution. Download Theya Now at theya.us/cedric Get up to $100 in Bitcoin on River at river.com/Matrix The best Team Bitcoin merch is at HodlersOfficial.com. Use the code Matrix for a discount on your order. Become a sponsor of the show: https://thebitcoinmatrix.com/sponsors/ ––– Get To Know Today's Guest ––– • John Burnett on X: https://x.com/truthinlogicBTC • Paul Tarantino on X: https://x.com/Humble_Hodl1111 ––– Socials ––– • Check out our new website at https://TheBitcoinMatrix.Com • Follow Cedric Youngelman on X: https://x.com/cedyoungelman • Follow The Bitcoin Matrix Podcast on X: https://x.com/_bitcoinmatrix • Follow Cedric Youngelman on Nostr: npub12tq9jxmt707gd5vnce3tqllpm67ktr0mqskcvy58qqa4d074pz9s4ukdcs  ––– Chapters ––– 00:00 - Intro  04:08 - Common Law vs. Maritime Law  08:36 - Did We Really Win the Revolutionary War?  12:55 - USA Inc. and the Legal Shift Post-1871  17:48 - Consent, Legalese, and The Truman Show  21:26 - Birth Certificates, Corporate Identity & Voluntary Servitude 26:07 - House Joint Resolution 192 & Fiat Collateralization  34:25 - Promissory Notes and the Right to Issue Credit  38:54 - The Bank Double-Dip Scheme  44:02 - Ownership, the DTCC & The Great Taking  50:05 - Will the Big Print Actually Happen?  54:53 - Fighting Fire with Fire: Using Their Legal System  01:00:38 - Creating Your Own Credit: Power and Pitfalls  01:07:04 - How Bitcoin Could Be Sidelined Like Gold  01:10:12 - Asserting Rights Outside the Legal Matrix 01:14:11 - Building a Sovereign Minority Movement  01:15:52 - Hope, Empowerment & The Remedy Clause  01:18:00 - Vision of Decentralized Resistance  01:21:37 - Sovereignty and Bitcoin as Parallel Paths  01:26:00 - Common Law vs. Legal System: Practical Examples  01:29:20 - Role of Language, Contracts, and Consent  01:36:44 - Defending Bitcoiners from Legal Traps  01:43:15 - Voluntary Slavery vs. Informed Sovereignty  01:46:35 - Final Words: Reclaiming Your Rights  DISCLAIMER: All views in this episode are our own and DO NOT reflect the opinions/views of any of our guests or sponsors.  I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for tuning in, supporting the show, and contributing.  Thank you for listening!

Etienne de la Boetie² is the pen name of a voluntaryist author, father, technology entrepreneur, runner, hot yogi, multi-disciplinarian truther, arm chair economist, cryptocurrency enthusiast and neo-abolitionist who is experimenting with large-scale cult deprogramming. All is explained in his very readable and well-illustrated bestseller “Government” - the Biggest Scam in History. The original Etienne, a friend of 16th century French essayist de Montaigne, wrote the political treatise Discourse on Voluntary Servitude and was one of the first modern advocates of civil disobedience and anti-statism. His 21st century successor was born in Texas, his real name is Howard and is similarly unenthusiastic about government, all government, which he believes to be an intergenerational organised crime syndicate. https://artofliberty.org ↓ If you need silver and gold bullion - and who wouldn't in these dark times? - then the place to go is The Pure Gold Company. Either they can deliver worldwide to your door - or store it for you in vaults in London and Zurich. You even use it for your pension. Cash out of gold whenever you like: liquidate within 24 hours. https://bit.ly/James-Delingpole-Gold ↓ ↓ How environmentalists are killing the planet, destroying the economy and stealing your children's future. In Watermelons, an updated edition of his ground-breaking 2011 book, JD tells the shocking true story of how a handful of political activists, green campaigners, voodoo scientists and psychopathic billionaires teamed up to invent a fake crisis called ‘global warming'. This updated edition includes two new chapters which, like a geo-engineered flood, pour cold water on some of the original's sunny optimism and provide new insights into the diabolical nature of the climate alarmists' sinister master plan. Purchase Watermelons (2024) by James Delingpole here: https://jamesdelingpole.co.uk/Shop/Products/Watermelons-2024.html ↓ ↓ ↓ Buy James a Coffee at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jamesdelingpole The official website of James Delingpole: https://jamesdelingpole.co.uk x

On the eve of elections here in the United States, co-hosts Ben & Mike break down the argument for opting out and choosing not to vote, using a selection of philosophy, comedy, and music through which to view this topic. In this conversation they discuss:Discourse on Voluntary Servitude by Étienne de La BoétieWhy I Don't Vote by George CarlinFree State of Mind by The MammalsSupport Terrain Theory on Patreon! Our recently-launched member platform gives you access to a ton of free & exclusive content. Check it out: https://www.patreon.com/TerrainTheoryTerrain Theory episodes are not to be taken as medical advice. You are your own primary healthcare provider.If you have a Terrain Transformation story you would like to share, email us at ben@terraintheory.net.Learn more at www.terraintheory.netMusic by Chris Merenda

Day 7: Mark Wunderlich reads his poem “No Horse.” We are honored to be the first publisher of this poem.  Mark Wunderlich is the author of four collections of poems, the most recent of which is God of Nothingness published by Graywolf Press.  His other collections include The Earth Avails, winner of the Rilke Prize, Voluntary Servitude, and The Anchorage, which received the Lambda Literary Award.  He has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Amy Lowell Trust, Civitella Ranieri Foundation, and the Wallace Stegner program at Stanford University.  He serves as Executive Director of the Bennington Writing Seminars graduate writing program, and chairs the Writing Committee at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown.  He lives near Catskill, New York.   Text of today's poem and more details about our program can be found at: deerfieldlibrary.org/queerpoemaday/ Find books from participating poets in our library's catalog.  Queer Poem-a-Day is a program from the Adult Services Department at the Library and may include adult language.  Queer Poem-a-Day is directed by poet and professor Lisa Hiton and Dylan Zavagno, Adult Services Coordinator at the Deerfield Public Library. Music for this fourth year of our series is from the second movement of the “Geistinger Sonata,” Piano Sonata No. 2 in C sharp minor, by Ethel Smyth, performed by pianist Daniel Baer. Queer Poem-a-Day is supported by generous donations from the Friends of the Deerfield Public Library and the Deerfield Fine Arts Commission.   

This week we're joined by Katherine Everitt, a PhD candidate at the European Graduate School. She is completing her dissertation on Hegel and the dialectics of space and is joining us for a look at The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude by Etienne de la Boétie and Montaigne's essay “On Friendship”. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/muhh Twitter: @unconscioushh

Alex and Adrian wax philosophically on “America's Birthday,” the reality behind why the press hates the First Amendment, world leaders hear AI's argument for taking over at UN summit, Ron DeMadnesss goes GigaChad in homophobic (and homoerotic) campaign ad, French gets turned on turning on cell phones, GOP and Dems flip positions on surveillance state again, and Michelle O at 20-1 odds.

A discussion of Murray Rothbard's Introduction to Etienne de la Boetie's "The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude". The connection of La Boetie's essay to the French Reformed is explained. Also highlighted is the main idea of the Discourse, that state tyranny relies on popular compliance, and when such compliance is withdrawn, the tyranny ends. https://reformedlibertarians.com/008/ 00:00 Start 00:32 Episode description Rothbard's introduction: https://mises.org/library/politics-etienne-de-la-boetie La Boetie's essay: https://mises.org/library/politics-obedience-discourse-voluntary-servitude Audiobook: https://mises.org/library/politics-obedience-discourse-voluntary-servitude-audiobook 01:24 About Murray Rothbard article: https://mises.org/profile/murray-n-rothbard audio: https://mises.org/library/who-is-murray-rothbard 01:44 Summary of Rothbard's introduction 04:55 Flashes Of Liberty on La Boetie https://mereliberty.com/podcasts/etienne-de-la-boetie 05:06 Summary of La Boetie's bio and the French Reformed (Huguenot) connection About Huguenots: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huguenots A 3 part presentation from Bill Edgar on Huguenots: a. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk0n5umun6A b. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDUc3O-WKt8 c. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qnqzmf7Ay5A 08:48 The question of the consent of the governed 12:32 Episode 2 on Romans 13 https://reformedlibertarians.com/002 13:45 The peaceful underthrow of the state by withdraw of popular compliance 15:41 Larken Rose's videos The Tiny Dot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6b70TUbdfs The Jones Plantation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb8Rj5xkDPk Film: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/jones-plantation-feature-film-post-production/ 16:27 Working together to spread the message The First Follower video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW8amMCVAJQ 18:12 The Velvet Revolution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velvet_Revolution 18:43 The crucial educational task of de-bamboozling The Reformed Libertarians Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute: https://libertarianchristians.com and a member of the Christians for Liberty Network: https://christiansforliberty.net Audio Production by Podsworth Media - https://podsworth.com  

Image credit: Max Stirner in a cartoon by Friedrich Engels (1820-1895)

This text is available on TheAnarchistLibrary.org. Immediatism.com My other podcast, PointingTexts.org Feedback and requests to Cory@Immediatism.com, and your comment may be shared in a future episode. Donate

This text is available on TheAnarchistLibrary.org. Immediatism.com My other podcast, PointingTexts.org Feedback and requests to Cory@Immediatism.com, and your comment may be shared in a future episode. Donate

The National Government bullies both the states and the people. How does "Voluntary Servitude" help cement the national government's power? Is it time for We, the People, to stand up against tyranny? The first step to freedom is deciding you want it in your life.  

“The disadvantaged don't make the world, they cope with it”Since Etienne de la Boetie's Discourse on Voluntary Servitude (1577), we have asked ourselves why the weak, the poor and the marginalised accept injustice.Social scientists talk to economic and political oppression. John Jost's work shows that the oppressed don't just suffer the injustice, they commit to it. Across society, people “invest in their own unhappiness”.Black children prefer white dolls; women feel entitled to lower salaries; victims blame themselves; around the world, people vote against their own economic interests…Jost presents three underlying reasons - epistemic, existential and relational - for why people become psychologically invested in the status quo even if it harms their objective interests, and walks through some of the research that demonstrates it.“One of the things that any kind of social movement for change needs to accomplish is a kind of undoing of the kind of indoctrination that all of us experience.”Listen to John Jost explain:False Consciousness: “ideology as a cognitive illusion” (Marx)Out-Group FavouritismWhy social activism is so taxing - and so many activists suffer burnoutThe role of the Stereotype: it simplifies and justifiesThe role of Evolution in system justificationAnd how to break the cycle“Part of the job of the Social Psychologist is to look at fixing the ills they identify”Works cited include:Daniel Kahneman's Prospect TheoryRobert Sapolsky, on the physiology of low-statusHoward ZinnGyorgy LukacsBerger and Luckman's The Social Construction of RealityKarl MarxAntonio GramsciHenri Tajfel's Social Identity TheoryCatharine MacKinnon: Towards a Feminist Critique of the StateChris Boehm on the benefits of inequalityJohn JostJohn Jost is Professor of Psychology, Politics, & Data Science and Co-Director of the Center for Social and Political Behavior at New York University. His research addresses stereotyping, prejudice, social justice, intergroup relations, political ideology, and system justification theory. He has published over 200 journal articles and book chapters and five books, including A Theory of System Justification.More on this episodeLearn all about the Parlia Podcast here.Meet Turi Munthe: https://www.parlia.com/u/TuriLearn more about the Parlia project here: https://www.parlia.com/aboutAnd visit us at: https://www.parlia.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This episode reviews - Discourse on Voluntary Servitude By Étienne de La Boétie (pronounced La Bwaytee ) Published posthumously 1577 Download from Online Library of Liberty

Mark Wunderlich was born in Winona, Minnesota and grew up in rural Fountain City, Wisconsin. He attended Concordia College's Institut für Deutsche Studien, and later the University of Wisconsin from which he received a BA in German Literature and English. Wunderlich earned a Master of Fine Arts from Columbia University's School of the Arts Writing Division where he studied poetry with J.D. McClatchy, William Matthews and Lucie Brock-Broido, among others, and translation with William Weaver and Frank MacShane. His poetry collections include The Anchorage, Voluntary Servitude, The Earth Avails, and God of Nothingness.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

วาระนี้ #Analysand ชวนมาพูดคุยเรื่องกษัตริย์ อันเป็นประเด็นร้อนระอุอย่างมากในการเมืองไทยจนไม่ต้องเกริ่นนำมากมายอะไรอีกแล้ว ขอบคุณสหายศิริวัชรผู้ช่วยปรับเสียงให้ดียิ่งขึ้น และเช่นเคย ถ้าผู้ฟังท่านใดสนใจติชมสามารถ comment ไว้ได้ที่ SoundCloud, YouTube หรือส่ง E-mail มาได้ที่ analysand@protonmail.com ครับ ข้อมูลเพิ่มเติม ========== - หนังสือ 'กษัตริย์คือ(อะ)ไร?' ที่คุณเก่งกิจแปลจาก 'What are kings?' นั้น David Graeber กับ Nika Dubrovsky เขียนขึ้นเพื่อเป็นหนังสือสำหรับเยาวชน โดยปรับจาก Sahlins, Marshall, and David Graeber. 2018. On Kings (Chicago, IL, USA: HAU) - หนังสือที่ปฐมพงศ์พูดถึงหลักในวาระนี้คือ Unchanam, Puangchon. 2020. Royal Capitalism: Wealth, Class, and Monarchy in Thailand (University of Wisconsin Press) - Nika Dubrovsky (เกิด 1967) นักมานุษยวิทยาชาวอเมริกัน เขียนหนังสือ 'กษัตริย์คือ(อะ)ไร?' ที่เรานำมาพูดถึงในวันนี้ร่วมกับ David Geaber คู่ชีวิตของเธอ - Marilyn Strathern (เกิด 1941) นักมานุษยวิทยาชาวอังกฤษ หนังสือเล่มล่าสุดคือ Strathern, Marilyn. 2020. Relations: An Anthropological Account (Duke University Press) - Marshall Sahlins (เกิด 1930) หนังสือที่คุณเก่งกิจพูดถึงคือ Sahlins, Marshall. 2020. Stone Age Economics (Routledge) - Étienne de La Boétie (1530 - 1963) หนังสือในภาษาอังกฤษที่น่าสนใจคือ De La Boetie, Etienne. 2008. The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude, trans. by Harry Kurz (North Charleston, SC, USA: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform) ช่วยผู้ร่วมรายการขายของ =================== - หนังสือ กษัตริย์คือ(อะ)ไร สามารถหาซื้อได้ตามร้านค้าทั่วไป หรือสั่งตรงผ่านสำนักพิมพ์ได้ที่ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/illuminationseditions/

Welcome to another episode of Truthzilla! We had our good friend and acclaimed Harry Caray impersonator, Handsome Rob back on to discuss the agendas being blatantly rolled out in front of our faces, and under the noses of those who choose to remain asleep. Which agendas are we referring to? Agenda 21, which has been rebranded as Agenda 2030 and is in full force everywhere you look. If you enjoy personal sovereignty, property rights, individual freedom and living in a world where there are more than 500 million people, then you should staunchly oppose this plan! Join us as we pick apart the insidious plan, leading up to the end of humanity disguised in flowery language like "sustainable development" and "The Great Reset". Agenda 21 directly on the UN websitehttps://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/outcomedocuments/agenda21https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/Truthzilla Merch!https://teespring.com/stores/truthzilla00:12:00 The Water Powered Carhttps://www.collective-evolution.com/2018/01/04/the-inventor-of-a-water-powered-car-that-died-in-a-restaurant-yelling-they-poisoned-me/00:13:10 Book we couldn't remember the name of, written in 1552:The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude by Étienne de la Boétie 00:15:00 Corbett interview with Rosa Koirehttps://www.corbettreport.com/un-agenda-21-exposed-with-rosa-koire-video/00:48:00 James Corbet - COV|D 911: From Homeland Security to Biosecurityhttps://www.corbettreport.com/covid-911-from-homeland-security-to-biosecurity/  

123 Republic Keeper Podcast patreon.com/republickeeper Show opener Give the phone # 866-988-8311 info@republickeeper.com Coming up on today’s broadcast The Most Important American You’ve never heard of Who was Gene Sharp? Born 1928 – died in 2018 7 days after his 90th He was the founder of the Albert Einstein Institution, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the study of nonviolent action, and professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Unofficial sources have claimed that Sharp was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prizein 2015,[3] and had previously been nominated three times, in 2009, 2012 and 2013 Sharp was widely considered the favorite for the 2012 award. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences in 1949 from Ohio State University, where he also received his Master of Arts in Sociology in 1951.[14] In 1953–54, Sharp was jailed for nine months after protesting the conscriptionof soldiers for the Korean War.[2] He discussed his decision to go to prison for his beliefs in letters to Albert Einstein, who wrote a foreword to his first book on Gandhi.[15] He worked as factory laborer, guide to a blind social worker, and secretary to  J. Muste, America's leading pacifist. Between 1955 and 1958, he was Assistant Editor of Peace News(London), the weekly pacifist newspaper from where he helped organize the 1958 Aldermaston March. The next two years he studied and researched in Oslo with Professor Arne Næss, who together with Johan Galtungdrew extensively from Mohandas Gandhi's writings in developing the Satyagraha Norms.[16] In 1968, he received a Doctor of Philosophy in political theory from Oxford University.[14] Funding for Sharp's research at this time came from the DARPAproject of the US Department of Defense.[17] his 1973 book The Politics of Nonviolent Action, which was based on his 1968 PhD thesis.[25]In the book, a "three-volume classic on civil disobedience,"[26] he provides a pragmatic political analysis of nonviolent action as a method for applying power in a conflict. Sharp's key theme is that power is not monolithic; that is, it does not derive from some intrinsic quality of those who are in power. For Sharp, political power, the power of any state – regardless of its particular structural organization – ultimately derives from the subjects of the state. His fundamental belief is that any power structure relies upon the subjects' obedience to the orders of the ruler(s). If subjects do not obey, rulers have no power Sharp identifies this hidden structure as providing a window of opportunity for a population to cause significant change in a state. Sharp cites the insight of Étienne de La Boétie(1530–1563) that if the subjects of a particular state recognize that they are the source of the state's power, they can refuse their obedience and their leader(s) will be left without power. To him, (Boetie) the great mystery of politics was obedience to rulers. Why in the world do people agree to be looted and otherwise oppressed by government overlords? It is not just fear, Boetie explains in the Discourse on Voluntary Servitude, for our consent is required. And that consent can be non-violently withdrawn.[3] Sharp has been called both the "Machiavelliof nonviolence"[21] and the "Clausewitz of nonviolent warfare."[30] It is claimed by some that Sharp's scholarship has influenced resistance organizations around the world. His works remain the ideological underpinning of the work for the Serbian-based nonviolent conflict training group the Centre for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies which helped to train the key activists in the protest movement that toppled President Mubarak of Egypt, and many other earlier youth movements in the Eastern European color revolutions. Sharp's 1993 handbook From Dictatorship to Democracy[31]was first published in Burma, fourth edition in 2010. It has since been translated into at least 31 other languages.[32] It has served as a basis for the campaigns of Serbia's Otpor! (who were also directly trained by the Albert Einstein Institution), Georgia's Kmara, Ukraine's Pora, Kyrgyzstan's KelKel and Belarus' Zubr. Pora's Oleh Kyriyenko said in a 2004 interview with Radio Netherlands, Sharp - Not Non-violence Sharp – stubborn and cussed Sharp – exert control and take action Sharp – wield power and control futures Sharp – that book is a bomb Yellow Revolution President John Adamssigned into law the Sedition Act of 1798, which set out punishments of up to two years of imprisonment for "opposing or resisting any law of the United States" or writing or publishing "false, scandalous, and malicious writing" about the President or the S. Congress (though not the office of the Vice-President, then occupied by Adams' political opponent Thomas Jefferson). This Act of Congress was allowed to expire in 1801 after Jefferson's election to the Presidency;[46] Jefferson pardoned those still serving sentences, and fines were repaid by the government. This law was never appealed to the United States Supreme Court (which had not yet established its right to invalidate laws passed by Congress) but opponents claimed it was unconstitutional under the First Amendment. In the Espionage Act of 1917, Section 3 made it a federal crime, punishable by up to 20 years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $10,000, to willfully spread false news of the American army or navy with an intent to disrupt its operations, to foment mutiny in their ranks, or to obstruct recruiting. This Act of Congress was amended by the Sedition Act of 1918, which expanded the scope of the Espionage Act to any statement criticizing the Government of the United States. These laws were upheld by the Supreme Court in the 1919 decisions Schenck v. United States(concerning distribution of flyers urging men to resist the draft) and Abrams v. United States (concerning leaflets urging cessation of weapons production). Schenck led to the "shouting 'fire' in a crowded theater" explanation of the limits of free speech. The laws were largely repealed in 1921, leaving laws forbidding foreign espionage in the United States and allowing military censorship of sensitive material. In 1940, the Alien Registration Act, or "Smith Act", was passed, which made it a federal crime to advocate or to teach the desirability of overthrowing the United States Government, or to be a member of any organization which does the same. It was often used against communist party This Act was invoked in three major cases, one of which against the Socialist Worker's Partyin Minneapolis in 1941, resulting in 23 convictions, and again in what became known as the Great Sedition Trial of 1944 in which a number of pro-Nazi figures were indicted but released when the prosecution ended in a mistrial. Also, a series of trials of 140 leaders of the Communist Party USA also relied upon the terms of the "Smith Act"—beginning in 1949—and lasting until 1957. Although the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the convictions of 11 CPUSA leaders in 1951 in Dennis v. United States, that same Court reversed itself in 1957 in the case of Yates v. United States, by ruling that teaching an ideal, no matter how harmful it may seem, does not equal advocating or planning its implementation. Although unused since at least 1961,[citation needed] the "Smith Act" remains a Federal law. There was, however, a brief attempt to use the sedition laws[which?]against protesters of the Vietnam War. On 17 October 1967, two demonstrators, including then Marin County resident Al Wasserman, while engaged in a "sit-in" at the Army Induction Center in Oakland, California, were arrested and charged with sedition by deputy US. Marshal Richard St. Germain. U.S. Attorney Cecil Poole changed the charge to trespassing. Poole said, "three guys (according to Mr. Wasserman there were only 2) reaching up and touching the leg of an inductee, and that's conspiracy to commit sedition? That's ridiculous!" The inductees were in the process of physically stepping on the demonstrators as they attempted to enter the building, and the demonstrators were trying to protect themselves from the inductees' feet. Attorney Poole later added, "We'll decide what to prosecute, not marshals."[47] In 1981, Oscar López Rivera, a Puerto Rican Nationalist and Vietnam war veteran, was convicted and sentenced to 70 years in prison for seditious conspiracy and various other offenses.[example needed]He was among the 16 Puerto Rican nationalists offered conditional clemency by U.S. President Bill Clinton in 1999, but he rejected the offer.[48] His sister, Zenaida López, said he refused the offer because on parole, he would be in "prison outside prison".[citation needed] The clemency agreement required him to renounce the use of terrorism, including use or advocacy of the use of violence, to achieve their aim of independence for Puerto Rico.[49] Congressman Pedro Pierluisi has stated that "the primary reason that López Rivera did not accept the clemency offer extended to him in 1999 was because it had not also been extended to certain fellow [Puerto Rico independence movement] prisoners, including Mr. Torres".[50] (Torres was subsequently released from prison in July 2010.) In 1987, fourteen white supremacistswere indicted by a federal grand jury on charges filed by the U.S. Department of Justice against a seditious conspiracy between July 1983 and March 1985. Some alleged conspirators were serving time for overt acts, such as the crimes committed by The Order. Others such as Louis Beam and Richard Butler were charged for their speech seen as spurring on the overt acts by the others. In April 1988, a federal jury in Arkansas acquitted all the accused of charges of seditious conspiracy.[51] On 1 October 1995, Omar Abdel-Rahmanand nine others were convicted of seditious conspiracy.[52] Laura Berg, a nurse at a S. Department of Veterans Affairshospital in New Mexico was investigated for sedition in September 2005[53] after writing a letter[54][55] to the editor of a local newspaper, accusing several national leaders of criminal negligence. Though their action was later deemed unwarranted by the director of Veteran Affairs, local human resources personnel took it upon themselves to request an FBI investigation. Ms. Berg was represented by the ACLU.[56] Charges were dropped in 2006.[57] On 28 March 2010, nine members of the Hutareemilitia were arrested and charged with crimes including seditious conspiracy.[58] In August, 2012, U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts dismissed all serious charges against the remaining defendants, including sedition, and rebuked prosecutors for bringing the case. One man, Jacob Ward, was found not competent to stand trial. Three of the men, Joshua John Clough, David Brian Stone Sr., the leader of the group, and his son Joshua Stone, pleaded guilty to weapons charges

While in college at the young age of eighteen, Étienne De La Boétie wrote a Discourse on Voluntary Servitude a book which attempted to explain why people obey tyrants despite their better judgement. Étienne explains how tyranny endures through the powers of habit, trickery, and patronage. But by far, Étienne’s most unique view is that the state must be dismantled by simple acts of mass civil disobedience reminding rulers we can always choose not to obey. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Why do people act against their best interests and consent to their enslavement? ...it has been common to assume that the masses are purely victims in their enslavement, unable to mount any form of resistance due to the threat of force wielded by those in power. In the 16th century, the French philosopher Etienne de La Boétie challenged this view in his essay The Discourse on Voluntary Servitude. All governments, he argued, including the most tyrannical, can only rule for extended durations if they have the general support of the populace. Not only are those in power vastly outnumbered by those over whom they rule, but governments rely on the subjugated populations to provide them with a continual supply of resources and manpower. If one day enough people refused to obey and stopped surrendering their wealth and property, their oppressors would, in the words of La Boétie, “become naked and undone and as nothing, just as, when the root receives no nourishment, the branch withers and dies.” (Étienne de La Boétie, The Discourse on Voluntary Servitude) Hence mass submission to even the most oppressive political regimes is always a voluntary servitude, one based on popular consent. As de La Boétie explains: “Obviously there is no need of fighting to overcome this single tyrant, for he is automatically defeated if the country refuses consent to its own enslavement: it is not necessary to deprive him of anything, but simply to give him nothing; there is no need that the country make an effort to do anything for itself provided it does nothing against itself. It is therefore the inhabitants themselves who permit, or, rather, bring about, their own subjection, since by ceasing to submit they would put an end to their servitude. A people enslaves itself, cuts its own throat, when, having a choice between being vassals and being free men, it deserts its liberties and takes on the yoke, gives consent to its own misery, or, rather, apparently welcomes it.” (Étienne de La Boétie, The Discourse on Voluntary Servitude) https://academyofideas.com/2018/03/how-we-enslave-ourselves/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/donavon-riley/support

Summarizing insights from Mises, Hume, and La Boetie, Bob argues that even the worst tyrants ultimately stay in power because other people obey them. If the people withdraw their support from a regime, it will fall. Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest: Gene Sharp's book, (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1595588507/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=consultingbyr-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1595588507&linkId=eaf40337a5c7eb4433a8fc55e17c6154) . #CommissionsEarned (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Etienne de la Boetie's "A Discourse of Voluntary Servitude" (https://mises.org/library/politics-obedience-discourse-voluntary-servitude) (with an introduction by Rothbard). Details on Bob's April 20 Soho Forum (https://libertarianchristians.com/debate/) debate. (Use promo code "bob" for a discount.) Help support (http://bobmurphyshow.com/contribute)  the Bob Murphy Show. The audio production for this episode was provided by  Podsworth Media (http://podsworth.com/) .

The original Etienne de la Boetie, 1530-1563, was a French political philosopher who wrote The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude (popularly reprinted in English as: The Anti-Dictator) in the 16th century where he argued that men are not so much enslaved as they enslave themselves and the only power tyrants have is given to them by […] The post Understanding your slavery – with Etienne de la Boetie (the 2nd) appeared first on .

The original Etienne de la Boetie, 1530-1563, was a French political philosopher who wrote The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude (popularly reprinted in English as: The Anti-Dictator) in the 16th century where he argued that men are not so much enslaved as they enslave themselves and the only power tyrants have is given to them by […] The post Understanding your slavery – with Etienne de la Boetie (the 2nd) appeared first on .

One of the most radical ideas I've come across is this: People are not free ultimately because they voluntarily consent to their servitude. Etienne de La Boetie wrote "A Discourse on Voluntary Servitude" during the Renaissance period. His book had a huge influence on many philosophers and inspired the civil disobedience movement. But, is it relevant to your personal life as well? Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! "Discourse on Voluntary Servitude" by Etienne de La Boetie

Are you peculiar?, Christ the Anarchist, says Mark Passio, God allows man's government, Choosing rulers = giving away your right to choose, Samuel's warnings, God's safeguards, US Constitution not biblical, Liberty is accepting responsibility, Slavery or Voluntary Servitude?, Yes, you signed the social contract, Christ's plan can still save you, Natural Law explained, Joseph and Egypt, Jews: The first Christians, Anarchy and Statism, Rights and States, The pirate example, Organized religion, Two religions, "Feed My sheep", The Christian Conflict, The Lord's Prayer, Corvee systems, Passport agreement, 42 USC 666, Today's temples, Vegans eating meat with blood in it, Golden Calves, Responsibility to Christ's weightier matters, Waiting on tables, Good and bad governments, Are you an asset "of" or "to" your government?, Evidence against you, Christ's "Command", Loaves and fishes, Separation of powers, Only 1 denomination, How to organize, Why "7 men"?, Don't keep feeding pigs, Righteous caring, Metaphors and allegories, How God's kingdom works, The wedding feast and garments, Removing your eye-scales, Your father whose table you eat at, The Corban story, What is stopping you from following Christ's command?, Christ's policies, Christ's network, You can't just "say" Lord, Lord, Are you humble?, Do your feet need washing?, Christ or Constantine?, Righteousness or Tribute?, Individual journey we make together.

It doesn't feel like the end of 2016 is upon us. It also doesn't feel like this should be the last regular episode of 2016. Yet, here we are.. But we're going out with style, with brand new music from Dejadeath, Agónica, and Minenwerfer. We also have tracks from Ishmael, Silent Path, Last Dive, Dehumanizing Process, and an ear-worm from Martes Mártir. And while we bid a farewell to 2016 we'll be back first-thing in the new year with more Creative Commons Metal Music to blast your ear-holes into the new year. (00:11) Voluntary Servitude by Dejadeath from Satan Is Losing Momentum (BY-NC-ND) (03:43) The King Of Worms by Agónica from Collapse (BY-NC-ND) (09:04) Iron Cross (Ostfront 1915 Version) by Minenwerfer from Ich hatt einen Kameraden (BY-NC-SA) (12:28) III by Ishmael from Second Perception (BY-NC) (23:21) Grey Dolls from Nowhere by Silent Path from Mourner Portraits (BY-NC) (29:51) Last Dive by Last Dive from Firstborn (BY-SA) (34:30) Enslavement by Dehumanizing Process from Supremacy (BY-NC-ND) (39:24) Fantasmagoria by Martes Mártir from CARCASA (BY-NC-SA) Please support the bands in this show! Buy a T-Shirt, buy an album, head to the shows, or leave a present for them. Whatever you can do to help these bands keep making music, please do it! If you have any suggestions for Creative Commons licensed metal, send me a link at craig@openmetalcast.com. Open Metalcast #144 (MP3) Open Metalcast #144 (OGG)

Join CJ as he discusses: The Law by Frederic Bastiat The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse on Voluntary Servitude by Etienne de la Boetie The State by Franz Oppenheimer Inventing the People: The Rise of Popular Sovereignty in England and America by Edmund Morgan No Treason: The Constitution of No Authority by Lysander Spooner Propaganda: The […] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TAGS Political TheoryThe Politics of ObedienceOCTOBER 13, 2008 Etienne de la BoetieFrom The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude by Étienne de La Boétie. Pages 39-47 in the text, as narrated by Floy Lilley.Download audio fileREAD MORE

TAGS Political TheoryThe Politics of ObedienceOCTOBER 13, 2008 Etienne de la BoetieFrom The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude by Étienne de La Boétie. Pages 39-47 in the text, as narrated by Floy Lilley.Download audio fileREAD MORE

Today we look at a video from self-proclaimed liberal atheist Steve Shives. Targeting libertarianism, this video is part of his "5 Stupid Things About..." collection. Many of you might enjoy some of his work, so please check out his website, stevelikestocurse.com. SERIES BACKGROUND: We are now rebooting the series for the purposes of review and expansion. Tony Myers will be the permanent co-host for these episodes. See Tony's past School Sucks contributions here, and please have a look at Tony's comprehensive notes on the science of logic here. Logic is about understanding reality in a non-contradictory way and how can we see things for what they are. Metaphysical Laws 1.Identity 2.Causality 3.Non-Contradiction Discussion With Tony Myers: -Applying the Trivium -The rhetorical approach of Steve Shives -Why this video? -Why we failed in our first attempt to record this show -Fallacies in the first 3 "Stupid Things" 1. It's selfish The most important thing in debate is proper identification; an easy way to win a debate is to define things however you want and get away with it. This allows for a rhetorical strategy we call Hedging – using words with ambiguous meanings, then changing the meaning of them later. Steve's defining characteristic - selfishness? What about property Rights? Self-ownership? The NAP? 2. It alienates people from the government I don't feel this way at all; GOVT is people and the state is a dangerous superstition. It's another religion from which we, like Steve Shives, work to free people. Philosophical implication: we should be connected to the government we have a duty or responsibility to society that libertarians are dodging 3. It's anachronistic This entire thing is the stolen concept fallacy. Requiring the truth of the something that you are simultaneously trying to disprove. Appeal to novelty - Argument: libertarianism is bad cause it's old, especially compared to the blessings of the state in the 20th century Principle: things that are old are not preferable to things that are newer definition problem again -Libertarianism as political movement in the US goes back to the early 1970s -you can go back further to some of Rand's conclusions decades earlier with respect to the fourth branch of philosophy : politics -Spooner -Discourse on Voluntary Servitude, or the Anti-Dictator, mid-1500s it's still like 4000 years newer than the state Music: Traditional - "Faith Is the Victory" Joan Osborn - "What If God Was One of Us?" Traditional - "Adestes Fideles" Norman Greenbaum - "Spirit In The Sky" Kutless - "What Faith Can Do" Look Closer: 2 Aristotle Logic from History and Philosophy of Science Will Durant - The Story of Philosophy - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_Philosophy Tragedy & Hope Communications - http://www.tragedyandhope.com/ Trivium Education - http://www.triviumeducation.com/trivium/ Logical Fallacies Handlist - http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/fallacies_list.html Please Support School Sucks Our Amazon Wish List Donate With Bitcoin Or Join the A/V Club Your continued support keeps the show going and growing, which keeps us at the top of the options for education podcasts and leads to new people discovering this message. This subscription also grants you access to the A/V Club, a bonus content section with 200+ hours of exclusive audio and video. If you are a regular consumer of our media, please consider making a monthly commitment by selecting the best option for you... Join the A/V Club! $6.00/Month Join the A/V Club! $9.00/Month Join the A/V Club! $12/Month

Notes, References, and Links for further study: Tragedy and Hope dot com Invitation to the Tragedy and Hope online community (link expires monthly) Log in page for the Tragedy and Hope online community Peace Revolution primary site (2009-2012)* Peace Revolution backup stream (2006-2012)* Includes the 9/11 Synchronicity Podcast (predecessor to Peace Revolution) *These 2 podcasts amount to 250+ hours of commercial-free educational content, which formulate a comprehensive and conscious curriculum. The Ultimate History Lesson dot com (the film, notes, references, transcript, etc.) Research Bonus Pack (fundraiser for media partners and JTG) Partner Coupon Codes: GnosticMedia CorbettReport MediaMonarchy RedIceRadio SchoolSucks MeriaHeller The Ultimate History Lesson Official Playlist (on YouTube) The Ultimate History Lesson (Torrents) (Video) The Ultimate History Lesson (5+ hours / 1080p HD mp4) (Audio) The Ultimate History Lesson + Commentary (16+ hours / mp3) If you're interested in downloading the torrent versions, please send an email to: Editors@TragedyandHope.com with the word “torrent” in the subject line. What is a Torrent? (on Wikipedia) uTorrent (software to create and download torrent files) Reference Map to Episode 058: (minutes 0-4min) CNBC agrees we're all slaves to International Bankers (4min – 26min) Richard's introductory monologue (Book) The Ayn Rand Lexicon: Objectivism from A to Z edited by Harry Binswanger (26m-50m) Who was Niccolo Machiavelli?  by Murray N. Rothbard (50m-1h10m) The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude by Etienne De La Boetie (Person) Etienne de La Boetie on Wikipedia (1h10m-3h30m) The Political  thought of Etienne de La Boetie by Murray N. Rothbard (Book) Obedience to Authority by Stanley Milgram (3h30m-5h30m) C2C: Experiments of Stanley Milgram with George Noory and Thomas Blass (Book) The Man Who Shocked The World: The Life And Legacy Of Stanley Milgram by Thomas Blass Peace Revolution partner podcasts: Corbett Report dot com Media Monarchy dot com Gnostic Media Podcast Red Ice Creations School Sucks Project Podcast Meria dot net Other productions by members of the T&H network: The Ultimate History Lesson: A Weekend with John Taylor Gatto (2012) a journey into the dark heart of public schooling, revealing how America became incoherent, one student at a time. Navigating Netflix (2011) our video series wherein we conduct a critical analysis of films you might have missed; Navigating Netflix is available for free on YouTube. "Memories of a Political Prisoner", an interview with Professor Chengiah Ragaven, graduate of Oxford, Cambridge, and Sussex; AFTER he was a political prisoner, who was exiled from South Africa, during Apartheid. (2011) What You've Been Missing! (2011) is our video series focusing in on the history of corruption in our public education system. Top Documentary Films dot com: Hijacking Humanity by Paul Verge (2006) Top Documentary Films dot com: Exposing the Noble Lie (2010) Top Documentary Films dot com: The Pharmacratic Inquisition by Jan Irvin (2007) THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! If you would like to donate so that we can continue producing independent media without commercial advertising, simply click the button below for a one-time donation: Alternatively, You can become a Member and Support our ability to create media for the public (while You make new friends and enjoy educating yourself along the way) by subscribing to the Tragedy and Hope Community: Monthly @ $14.95 / month Yearly @ $120.00 / year *Subscription details on TragedyandHope.com

Notes, References, and Links for further study:Tragedy and Hope dot comInvitation to the Tragedy and Hope online community (link expires monthly)Log in page for the Tragedy and Hope online communityPeace Revolution primary site (2009-2012)*Peace Revolution backup stream (2006-2012)*Includes the 9/11 Synchronicity Podcast (predecessor to Peace Revolution)*These 2 podcasts amount to 250+ hours of commercial-free educational content, which formulate a comprehensive and conscious curriculum.The Ultimate History Lesson dot com (the film, notes, references, transcript, etc.)Research Bonus Pack (fundraiser for media partners and JTG)Partner Coupon Codes (MUST BE IN ALL CAPS):GNOSTICMEDIACORBETTREPORTMEDIAMONARCHYREDICERADIOSCHOOLSUCKSMERIAHELLERThe Ultimate History Lesson Official Playlist (on YouTube)The Ultimate History Lesson (Torrents)(Video) The Ultimate History Lesson (5+ hours / 1080p HD mp4)(Audio) The Ultimate History Lesson + Commentary (16+ hours / mp3)If you're interested in downloading the torrent versions, please send an email to: Editors@TragedyandHope.com with the word “torrent” in the subject line.What is a Torrent? (on Wikipedia)uTorrent (software to create and download torrent files)Reference Map to Episode 058: (minutes 0-4min) CNBC agrees we're all slaves to International Bankers (4min – 26min) Richard's introductory monologue (Book) The Ayn Rand Lexicon: Objectivism from A to Z edited by Harry Binswanger (26m-50m) Who was Niccolo Machiavelli?  by Murray N. Rothbard (50m-1h10m) The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude by Etienne De La Boetie (Person) Etienne de La Boetie on Wikipedia (1h10m-3h30m) The Political  thought of Etienne de La Boetie by Murray N. Rothbard (Book) Obedience to Authority by Stanley Milgram (3h30m-5h30m) C2C: Experiments of Stanley Milgram with George Noory and Thomas Blass (Book) The Man Who Shocked The World: The Life And Legacy Of Stanley Milgram by Thomas Blass Peace Revolution partner podcasts:Corbett Report dot comMedia Monarchy dot comGnostic Media PodcastRed Ice CreationsSchool Sucks Project PodcastMeria dot netOther productions by members of the T&H network:The Ultimate History Lesson: A Weekend with John Taylor Gatto (2012) a journey into the dark heart of public schooling, revealing how America became incoherent, one student at a time.Navigating Netflix (2011) our video series wherein we conduct a critical analysis of films you might have missed; Navigating Netflix is available for free on YouTube."Memories of a Political Prisoner", an interview with Professor Chengiah Ragaven, graduate of Oxford, Cambridge, and Sussex; AFTER he was a political prisoner, who was exiled from South Africa, during Apartheid. (2011)What You've Been Missing! (2011) is our video series focusing in on the history of corruption in our public education system.Top Documentary Films dot com: Hijacking Humanity by Paul Verge (2006)Top Documentary Films dot com: Exposing the Noble Lie (2010)Top Documentary Films dot com: The Pharmacratic Inquisition by Jan Irvin (2007)THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! If you would like to donate so that we can continue producing independent media without commercial advertising, simply click the button below for a one-time donation: Alternatively, You can become a Member and Support our ability to create media for the public (while You make new friends and enjoy educating yourself along the way) by subscribing to the Tragedy and Hope Community: Monthly @ $14.95 / month Yearly @ $120.00 / year *Subscription details on TragedyandHope.com

Marc Stevens: Individual Sovereignty vs. Government Enslavement: The Politics of Voluntary Servitude In this interview longtime legal researcher, author and radio host Marc Stevens parses the techniques that government uses on every level in the U.S.A. to intimidate and manipulate individuals into voluntary compliance with a fraudulent system. Advocating degrees of non-compliance; describing himself as anti-violence, anti-human-farming, Stevens vociferously asserts that: The federal government has always been a tool of the super wealthy. All politics is diversion from the reality of the larger construct, away from the underlying violence. We are participating in our own enslavement; complacent out of fear of reprisal. Government methods of intimidation into submission are criminal. While the burden of non-compliance with fraudulent systems lies with the individual, questioning the system at any juncture with judges, police and bureaucrats meets deflection, anger, and is dealt with punitively. And much more.

The Introduction to The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude by Étienne de La Boétie. Pages 7-36 in the text, as narrated by Floy Lilley.

Individuals are not to be sacrificed as means to other people's ends Pirates vs. Emperors by Joseph Nevins http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/05/07-6 Cruise ship attacked by pirates used sonic weapon (couldn't find exact article referenced) http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2005-11-07-cruise-blast_x.htm Governments have once again prevented effective measures of self-defense, this time at sea Accountability for mice and impunity for lions; U.N. is a ridiculous organization "Government" serves as a shield to protect its employees from wrongdoing Rulers nab bad guys so they themselves aren't perceived as bad rulers Initiatory force versus retaliatory force is a critical distinction The Authoritarian Mindset http://aynrkey.blogspot.com/2009/05/authoritarian-mindset.html The most docile slaves and the most demented dictators are psychologically similar; both are driven by fear and pseudo self-esteem, fostered in childhood of course and bolstered by the violent institution known as government Fundamentals of Voluntaryism (nod to Carl Watner) http://voluntaryist.com/fundamentals/introduction.php The Epistemological Argument; The Economic Argument; The Moral Argument; The Natural Law Argument; The Means-End Argument; The Consistency Argument; The Integrity, Self-Control, and Corruption Argument Ideas, both good and bad, are bulletproof "Vital" services are determined by those in the marketplace, not by mafias with flags All prosperity occurs in spite of the parasitism by the State http://anarchy.tv - using logical ideas in fictional stories to reveal truths and portray a better world Abolition of the coercive tools of government engenders respect in the populace, not rebelliousness and chaos To restrict people's freedom is do a terrible thing People aren't coerced to work in government--they choose to coerce others! http://www.amazon.com/How-Lie-Statistics-Darrell-Huff/dp/0393310728 Government (and parents) seek to alter "citizens'" (and children's) volition via threats and punishments Discourse on Voluntary Servitude http://www.constitution.org/la_boetie/serv_vol.htm As people stop supporting their "rulers," they gain more freedom Simple disobedience and non-compliance break the well-oiled (obeyed) governmental machine Empathy begins with recognition of how oneself has been subjected to tyranny Playing politics violates all the principles of voluntaryism There is no respectful or logical alternative to individuals making their own choices One man, SamIAm, refusing to comply with authoritarian sociopaths... http://freekeene.com/2009/05/04/sams-jail-blog-wednesday-april-29/ The stupid pop behaviorism of laws and retribution fosters, among other things, the slacker mentality People working in the "corrections system" are prime examples of irresponsibility, because they imprison rights-respecting people "Judges" do a major disservice to the concept of justice; they violate individuals' rights on a daily basis How does a group of people get a superior claim to your life and property? Illogically, immorally, and unjustly Robo-scientist's first findings by Victoria Gill http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7979113.stm Amazingly beneficial scientific innovations and discoveries are in store for us--especially as governmental funding declines Scientists need to become fully aware of the moral issues and of how government stifles scientific progress Metaphysical poem: Imagine http://devernay.free.fr/paradoxlost/html/imagine.html bumper music "Holiday in Cambodia" by Dead Kennedys http://www.deadkennedys.com/albums_fresh.html  http://www.myspace.com/deadkennedys to comment, please go to http://completeliberty.com/magazine/category/91697  

--{ Youth Service Act -- Freeman --> Serve --> Serf: "Faster Than Clerks Could Even Pen It, Bill HR1388 is Moved Through Senate, With 74 For and 14 Agin' It, Makes You Wonder if Anyone Read It, Includes Various Service and Ideology, Pavlovian Style Training, Military Psychology, Politicians Gloating, Coats a-Preening, Prospects of Indoctrinating Youth, All Greening, Land of the Free has Taken a Swerve Down the Highway, Pit Stop, Self-Serve" © Alan Watt }-- Planned War Against Public - Government Changing Your Behaviour - Mass Demonstrations, G20 Meeting - Britain, Allegiance to Queen (Her Majesty) - "Democracy" and Voting. Riots, Provocateurs - Think Tank Reports - Stock Market Collapse, Middle Classes - Politicians at Top, CFR, RIIA - Collectivism, Youth Parties. Up Against the Wall - Ideology for Children, New Generation - Post-WWII Germany - U.S. Mandatory National Service Corps, Voluntary Servitude, Americorps - Service to World State. Debt, New Economic System - Order Out of Chaos, Continual Crisis - World Government, Court, Bank, IMF - Orwellian Stage - France. Use of Disenfranchised, Welfare Recipients - Internal Army of Thugs (to be used) - British and French Govt. Databases - "Suspected" Criminals, Personality Profiles. Massive Aerial Spraying, Chemtrails - Instincts of Wild Animals, Survival Instincts - Immunity Drop, Asthma and Eczema Increase - HAARP Signals - Hurricane Katrina, Forbidden Rescuers. Front Speakers, Plato, Socrates, Fomenting Youth Revolution - Futurists, Predictive Programming, Familiarization. (Articles: ["National Service Corps Bill Clears Senate Hurdle" by Kate Phillips (thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com) - March 23, 2009.] [Call to scrap 'illegal databases' " (news.bbc.co.uk) - March 23, 2009.]) *Title/Poem and Dialogue Copyrighted Alan Watt - March 24, 2009 (Exempting Music, Literary Quotes, and Callers' Comments)

From The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude by Étienne de La Boétie. Pages 49-69 in the text, as narrated by Floy Lilley.

From The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude by Étienne de La Boétie. Pages 39-47 in the text, as narrated by Floy Lilley.

From The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude by Étienne de La Boétie. Pages 71-80 in the text, as narrated by Floy Lilley.

How – Actually – Does the State Work? 'Do As You Are Told, Or We Will Kill You' by Jeff Knaebel http://www.lewrockwell.com/knaebel/knaebel19.html Methods of domination... People who really value liberty are not so organized The ridiculous sporting event of politics, where winning equals everyone losing The free state project http://www.freestateproject.org Direct, raw violence perpetrated by individuals "working" for government Is democracy relative? Any initiation of force is wrong, absolutely Unjust laws...ad naseum The floating abstraction of "the public"; trying to hide government's true aims through the use of euphemisms Molding the minds of youth via "public education," i.e., extortion-funded governmental education Arguments against the notion that taxation is extortion and aggression, which are of course illogical Sick dependency created by those in government The monstrous ethical contradiction of using force as the means to (attempt to) achieve benevolent ends Stossel in America - ABC 20/20 Freeloaders - Creating Dependency Segment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4teq7aKTNJ4 http://townhall.com/columnists/JohnStossel/2007/01/03/is_this_any_way_to_help_the_homeless Violence is not a way to "help" people Should we fear employees of the State (those in power) or, rather, our fellow slaves? The Next Thing... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH_paOt6_ZI 948 The Next Thing (Part 2) http://www.podnova.com/channel/392694/episode/25/ the backstory: Episode: 947 The Next Thing (Part 1) http://www.podnova.com/channel/392694/episode/26/ Discourse on Voluntary Servitude by Etienne de la Boetie http://www.constitution.org/la_boetie/serv_vol.htm Inculcating obedience through nonsense statements such as, "As long as you comply, it's not force" Ruling through fear; http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Heinrich_Himmler Conflating America with American government The popular values of equality, universal health care, and no child left behind can never be realized through force, and government is the biggest hindrance to realizing such values The initiation of force is the invalid means to achieve one's ends Only the free market can foster popular values, and then some! Obviously, the more government intervention, the worse the results Lessons From Tennessee's Failed Health Care Reform by Merrill Matthews, Jr. (beware the author's slavespeak) http://www.heritage.org/Research/HealthCare/BG1357ES.cfm The unpeaceful nature of Sweden, and other liberally praised authoritarian domains Sweden, Banana Republic by Per Bylund http://www.lewrockwell.com/bylund/bylund12.html Per Bylund Archives: http://www.lewrockwell.com/bylund/bylund-arch.html The argument from morality in relation to the welfare state The congressional umbilical cord to the military/industrial complex How The Military/Industrial Complex Works: You Scratch My back, Bombs Away! http://completeliberty.com/chapter2.php#45 Government "servants" that impose "services" on us, versus the beauty of services provided by businesses Government, by definition, is incapable of providing what we want; what we want are voluntarily chosen services (i.e., not to be forced) Speaking of which, my own new service :) http://www.happinesscounseling.com Ayn Rand had it right: happiness is our highest moral purpose http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/happiness.html The psychological payoff for avoiding the immoral essence of governmental "services" Worry as future related guilt, and our various means of dealing with it President as good domineering parent; Kings ordained by "God" and "the people" Democracy: The God that Failed by Hans Hermane Hoppe http://www.hanshoppe.com/publications.php#democracy http://tinyurl.com/4zt79u (searchable text from google books) http://www.mises.org/store/Democracy-The-God-That-Failed-P240C0.aspx Ah, government is beyond failure, because its employees perform magic tricks and miracles using the golden (blood drenched) gun of taxation and regulation and fiat currency! Apathy created by governmental "schooling," childhood indoctrination in obedience to authority, and the mainstream media of distractions and lack of logical analysis Obama's "hope" and "change" through coercion: put the following site-specific searches in google to see the essence of what politics is about, no matter the orator's popularity: site:www.barackobama.com require site:www.barackobama.com required site:www.barackobama.com mandate site:www.barackobama.com mandated Governmental employees use commerce and business language to try to hide their organization's thuggish nature Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins http://www.economichitman.com/ http://tinyurl.com/57w588 (google books) http://www.democracynow.org/2004/11/9/confessions_of_an_economic_hit_man http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confessions_of_an_Economic_Hit_Man#Controversy_and_criticism Fabricating external threats in order to gain more power and control http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_flag http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Tonkin_Incident http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Harbor_advance-knowledge_debate FDR, Pearl Harbor and the U.N. by John V. Denson http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig2/denson8.html The Conspiracies of Empire by H. Arthur Scott Trask http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig/trask1.html Pearl Harbor Was No Surprise by Don Hull http://www.strike-the-root.com/columns/Hull/hull5.html Do Freedom of Information Act Files Prove FDR Had Foreknowledge of Pearl Harbor? by Robert B. Stinnett, Douglas Cirignano http://www.independent.org/issues/article.asp?id=408 The Truth About Pearl Harbor: A Debate by Robert B. Stinnett, Stephen Budiansky http://www.independent.org/issues/article.asp?id=445 Sixty-Three Years of Lies by Anthony Gregory http://www.strike-the-root.com/4/gregory/gregory27.html Man accused of making license plate 'disappear' http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2008/09/04/1827266-man-accused-of-making-license-plate-disappear Live in accordance with rights-respecting free enterprise http://agorism.info/ With complete liberty (voluntary exchanges), everything will become more and more affordable; cost of living will continually decrease and standard of living will continually increase In the lose/lose scenario of government (involuntary exchanges), those wielding power become slaves too--it's a race to the bottom, economically and psychologically bumper music "Uncle Sam Goddamn" by Brother Ali http://www.brotherali.com/  http://www.myspace.com/brotherali to comment, please go to http://completeliberty.com/magazine/category/91697