General

Re: How do people become anarchists?

MadMiser — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:18:30 GMT

Misean utilitarianism, as per Human Action: a large State makes everybody poorer in the long term. And, as per Hoppe and history, a small state will inevitably become a large state. Hence the only acceptable option, is no State.

Re: How do people become anarchists?

fakename — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 01:50:34 GMT

Reply to the OP: Most people think they know, while others know that they don't know. When applied to the workings of government, the latter become capable of understanding the possibility (if not the desireability) of natural elites and natural order, while the former are not so much wandering in ignorance but comfortable in false certainty and assurance.

Re: How do people become anarchists?

BiPolarMoment — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 23:26:34 GMT

I'm a quiet but fierce idelogue when it comes to the idea of voluntary transaction. My particular journey was hazy and short as I did not need a lot of convincing--the first step likely held the necessity of a state but that the size should be trimmed (to what extent was not known to me at the time). This was only a stepping stone on realizing the scope on which a moral standing of completely voluntary interaction implied.

I think there is an important clarification here:

MaikU:
What I think is that one of the most important things is questioning and understanding authority, meaning, which authority is "good" (voluntary, like in medical practice, for example) and which is bad (imposed by force).

Authority is not antethetical to anarchism--there are indeed many situations where it is respected and should be considered (though not used as an excuse for coercion). A stupidly simple example would be building your next computer--whom do you more likely trust for your decisions: the manufacturer, or a third party (e.g. anandtech) who has tested more options than would be feasible for you? What is a better illustration of division of labor than trusting those who are best at a given task?

Re: How do people become anarchists?

Al_Gore the Idiot — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 22:03:07 GMT

In response to the OP: As some have mentioned, we have become accustomed to the presence of the state for many millenias. Most never really ask questions about it's existence since we have become so accustomed to it. At this point, the state is like a "given". To many (few of whom think deeply) life without government would seem absurd.

I consider myself open-minded. I used to lean leftward. But the more I read about free markets and libertarianism, the more that ideology made sense. I think for others, a life changing event helps transforms them. I visited parts of Kurdistan. Even before Sadaam's genocidal campaign, the Kurds were a very independent group of people who wanted to live without government interference. I'm quite certain more than a few of them were outright skeptical of government after the horrific events.

Re: How do people become anarchists?

James — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 20:26:51 GMT

It's from the Lord of the Flies. The kids were all running in terror from a "beast" hidden somewhere on the island. Simon hallucinates the pig's head telling him that "the beast" is really inside people. Then he finds what the kids thought was the beast, and realises it's just a dead body. Then they kill him for trying to tell them the truth, because the myth has come to support the established power structure, and is a means to control the masses.

Re: How do people become anarchists?

NonAntiAnarchist — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 20:23:48 GMT

Enough bickering, Libertarians. We have the globe to save.

Re: How do people become anarchists?

Autolykos — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 20:20:34 GMT

Jackson LaRose:
Autolykos, you're being a weenie again.

Am I supposed to care about what you think I'm being?

Re: How do people become anarchists?

Neodoxy — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 20:15:39 GMT

@James

Huh?

Re: How do people become anarchists?

Jackson LaRose — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 20:12:54 GMT

Autolykos, you're being a weenie again.

Re: How do people become anarchists?

James — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 11:41:50 GMT

So.... How do you guys think people become anarchists?

Re: How do people become anarchists?

Autolykos — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 02:11:14 GMT

vive la insurrection:
Q: Where do you find a dog with no legs?

A: Right where you left him!

Either way, I recommend just getting out the pop corn, sitting back,and watch the fireworks

Please do tell me just what in the world this is supposed to mean.

Re: How do people become anarchists?

Autolykos — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 02:10:31 GMT

Birthday Pony:
Oh because I just don't care enough. Call me intellectually dishonest or say I was trying to intimidate you out of the thread or whatever. You don't think joking belongs here, so you harass consumariat until they leave a thread they weren't actively posting in anyway, and then threaten to harass them on other threads until they answer you. And I'm the one trying to intimidate you out of the conversation?

Why else would you get involved? As I see it, I was defending myself against both you and Consumariat. I took the latter to task over his non-serious post, and certainly felt justified in doing so. Call it "harrassing" all you want. I couldn't care less. Get it?

Birthday Pony:
Yes. Yes you are. Enjoy.

So you finally understand that you can't make me shut up or leave? That might be too much to ask for on my part.

Re: How do people become anarchists?

vive la insurrection — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 01:21:01 GMT

Seems that most of the people I come across who actually end up taking sociology classes in college turn out to be leftists of some sort.

I meant sociology in the broadest sense possible. I consider most "sociology" in academia to be a back door by leftists to create an echo chamber.

But in the end I meant the social sciences in general (and I consider econ to be the king of the social sciences) - but beng technical I would call this look a sociological look, not a socail science look.

Other than that - even when looking at "the way things work" - there isn't much wrong with being a Hobbes, Bismark, Machiavelli, primitivist, Rousseau, Baunin, etc - they "got it", I just don't find it ultimately a tenable if peope figure out the picture en masse.

Re: How do people become anarchists?

vive la insurrection — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 01:14:11 GMT

You don't have to. Rage away. I saw some other threads where people made jokes and I'll let you deal with those ones too.

Q: Where do you find a dog with no legs?

A: Right where you left him!

Either way, I recommend just getting out the pop corn, sitting back,and watch the fireworks

Re: How do people become anarchists?

Birthday Pony — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 01:07:26 GMT

Different paths leading to the same place. Some people are born hating authority, some people learn it, some people live it. And its rarely one thing that does the trick.