Book Review: Anarcho-Monarchism

Anarcho-Monarchism is a collection of 30 essays by libertarian author Insula Qui. The book explores various issues from a libertarian reactionary perspective, all of which factor into a synthesis of anarchy and monarchy. The introduction sets out the purpose of the book, which is to synthesize liberty and authority in such a way as to avoid the apparent contradictions in doing so. According to Qui, this is done through careful nuance. She recommends an alternate order in which one may read the book, but this is only necessary for those unfamiliar with any libertarian reactionary thought. She includes here a disclaimer that the work is not professionally edited, which unfortunately is more glaringly obvious than in her previous book. In What is Anarcho-Monarchism?, Qui offers an extended introduction. She proposes that the non-aggression principle is necessary but not sufficient, and that property rights will lead to natural hierarchies that culminate in monarchs. These monarchs are different from the absolute rulers of history, in that they rule based on merit and ability rather than coercion. The Contradiction of Freedom explores the limitations of freedom as pertains to the mutual incompatibility of each person being free to do as one will, which naturally leads to people violating each other’s freedoms. The differing conceptions of freedom offered by competing political ideologies motivate further conflicts in this regard. She summarizes these conditions thus: “To fight for freedom qua freedom is to fight for other people to be able to impose their vision of freedom onto you. To fight for freedom is simply to fight for the dominance of an unspecified party, and as such if you fight for freedom you fight for subjugation. However, there is still the slight hope that you will be the one doing the subjugating.”[1] She resolves this problem by advocating as a pragmatic matter that there must be a pursuit of autonomy to avoid needless conflicts in which people seek to impose their vision of freedom upon everyone else. Qui concludes the essay by denouncing the egoism of Max Stirner as the worst combination of freedom and autonomy. In The Final Arbiter, Qui deals with the problem of final resolution of disputes. She considers various possibilities for how such a final arbiter may exist outside of a monopolistic legal system. Unfortunately, she accepts the opponent’s framing of the question and spends all of her effort in trying to answer it rather than rejecting the concept of a final arbiter as either nonsensical (in that no person or institution can absolutely guarantee that any issue will be resolved forever with no possibility of review) or guaranteed by nature (the dead cannot dispute and every person eventually dies, so the Grim Reaper is the final arbiter). The fourth essay is The Centralization of Defence, and it argues against the contention of Robert Nozick and others that market anarchy would eventually be undone by centralization of defense agencies leading to the re-establishment of states. Qui admits the advantages of centralizing defense, such as volume discounts and the reduction of transaction costs. But as she explains, “[P]eople do not constantly need viable alternatives. Rather, what is necessary is the possibility of alternatives emerging.”[2] In other words, the mere threat of competition can inspire existing companies to provide better service. But more importantly, “[T]he system of law enforced by the agencies of defence is independent from those agencies that provide physical protection. There is no one agency that should have control over both law and force, and these industries would always be separate. If these industries are not provided by different agencies, the defence agency would become a dictator and would become what it was supposed to defend against.”[3] The separation of law creation and law enforcement into entities that are not under the same umbrella would be absolutely necessary to avoid the tyranny of modern nation-states. Finally, there is the problem of a powerful defense agency simply conquering a territory and declaring itself a new state. Qui admits that this is possible but not certain, which while less than ideal, is better than the certainty of the current system. Pro-War, Anti-Nation offers a strong case for the incompatibility of nationalism with warmongering, noting the dysgenic effect of sending the best men to die, the economic ruin brought by wartime destruction and production diversion, and the loss of moral foundation. Qui argues that true nationalism has been corrupted by imperialism, and restoring non-interventionist thinking is the path back to sanity. To her credit, she recognizes the possibility of restoration of martial virtues in a defensive war. In The Necessity of Force, Qui argues against the utopian ideas of some left-libertarians who advocate a goal of universal nonviolence. She writes, “ There will always be people who use force and there will always be people who need to respond to force with force to ensure that the original initiator of violence can be brought to justice. …If there are no people who are willing to use force to secure relative peace for people who do not want to use force, then people who are willing to use violence for personal gains would always achieve unjust outcomes for the sake of themselves.”[4] She also demonstrates that this need not devolve into a state, as the incentive structures involved give advantages to defenders over aggressors. Qui considers the corruption of libertarian philosophy for the purpose of appealing to leftists in Brutal Freedom. Here, she considers the flip side of full personal responsibility to its logical conclusion of social Darwinism, though she does not use the term in this essay. Though charity may mitigate brutality somewhat, Qui argues that some brutality will remain, as these charities will only help those who are willing to help themselves and just need a temporary step up. All Men Are Created Equal is a brief essay that addresses that all too common liberal fiction. As usual, “Definitions change and juxtaposing a modern notion with a classical one results in a misunderstanding of much thought in the classical tradition.”[5] As such, she compares modern notions of equality with the classical liberal idea of getting rid of titles of nobility and other such birthrights. This classical idea of human biological diversity and meritocracy is contrasted with the modern idea of equality of outcome. But Qui commits an error at the end, arguing for classical equality instead of natural inequality. Social Darwinism is given direct treatment in the ninth essay. Qui argues that far from trying to deny such an accusation, capitalists should embrace this sort of thinking. She illuminates the difference between actively killing and passively allowing death, showing expectation of survival to be a revolt against nature. But then she makes a dubious assertion: “If a system allows people to gain unearned advantages, that system ceases to be a social darwinist [sic] one. This is because it starts to encourage parasitism and negative qualities instead of the advancement of all individuals.”[6] Left unsaid is what constitutes an unearned advantage. There is also the problem that one does not earn one’s own genetic code, and that parasitism and other negative qualities are part of the evolutionary process. However, she correctly recognizes that a Darwinian process applies not just to who can survive, but who will occupy each station in life. She argues that social Darwinism will prevent charity from being wasted on those who will never become productive members of society, with resources instead flowing to those who prove themselves best at managing them. Read the entire article at ZerothPosition.com References: Qui, Insula (2018). Anarcho-Monarchism. p. 22. Ibid., p. 38. Ibid., p. 40. Ibid., p. 57. Ibid., p. 66. Ibid., p. 71. Ibid., p. 80. Ibid., p. 104. Ibid., p. 123–4. Ibid., p. 127. Ibid., p. 129. Ibid., p. 146. Ibid., p. 153. Ibid., p. 162. Ibid., p. 160. Ibid., p. 168. Ibid., p. 169. Ibid., p. 189–90. Ibid., p. 224–5. Ibid., p. 232. Ibid., p. 257. Ibid., p. 259–60. Ibid., p. 268–9.

The post Book Review: Anarcho-Monarchism appeared first on The Zeroth Position.

Source: Reece Liberty.Me – Book Review: Anarcho-Monarchism

The Libertarian Cartoon of the Year: Happy 2019!

Police, New Year, Happy New Year, 2019, Police State, Public Servants, Cartoon, Government

If there’s a libertarian cartoon for 2018, and probably for 2019 too – it’s this one about the police state issuing a ticket (and possible criminal charges) for Baby New Year partying with only his diaper on. Of course, the baby could be a purple haired LGBTQ+ griping about equality while clubbing Father Time over the head for his white patriarchy, but I figured this one was a little better. And besides, I did that one the year before. So, from all of us here at libertopia (which is mostly me) have a very happy and anarcho-capitalist, voluntaryist, anarchist, libertarian 2019! We hope you have a great year full of hope and promise for the future. And just remember, while things may look bleak at times – things here in this old world ARE getting better!

snowflake buddies, leftism, parody, satire, cartoon, graphic novelWant to laugh at all the crazy stuff going on in the world today? if so, check out our First Book from Shotwell Publishing30 AMAZING full-color illustrated pages of satire and wit – includes 12 activity pages and an amazing dystopian short story as it appeared on Lew Rockwell.com! And you won’t want to miss our AMAZING store with all the awesome stuff you WANT in order to make a cool statement to everyone you know. Find our store RIGHT HERE!

Source: Libertopia Cartoon – The Libertarian Cartoon of the Year: Happy 2019!

Episode 109 – Ratatouille (1:16:49)

It’s college bowl season and very nearly the NFL playoffs, so we thought we’d throw you a couple of curve balls.

First, Robert is a feeble and sickly old man, so a fine gentleman who has a new, and quite good, podcast has picked up temporary guardianship of the co-hosting duties. He is Dann Reid of the Culinary Libertarian, and you can find his work at http://www.culinarylibertarian.com

Which leads us to the second curve ball, and that is the choice of film for discussion will now be a more food-focused fare of the Disney/Pixar, in Brad Bird’s ‘Ratatouille‘.

The good news is, Robert will be playing the role of Gusteau’s ghost and we already have his take on this movie from back in our Read Rothbard days, and will post that on the show notes page.

For those of you wishing for Death Wish, just keep wishing for one more week…and like the genies we are, we shall grant that wish as the first episode of the new year.

Never miss an episode. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts to get new episodes as they become available. Continue reading “Episode 109 – Ratatouille (1:16:49)”

Dinosaur Lives Matter: Police State in Missouri Shuts Down Parade

Dinosaur March, Kansas City, Missouri

Breaking News from Missouri! In the fight against dangerous rampaging T-Rexes overtaking our urban centers and wreaking havoc with their tiny arms and massive piles of dino-doo, the Police State in Missouri recently shut down a pre-Christmas dinosaur parade organized by Jacob Honnold. (Read more from Fox 2, St. Louis here: Police Shut Down Kansas City Dinosaur March)

Honnold estimates that approximately 100 people may have attended the event dressed up in crazy, oversized dinosaur costumes for the event, and marched for less than a half hour before police swooped in on the scene and ordered the dangerous group of people having fun to STOP or face the full force of the Law. Thankfully no dinosaurs resisted, or else we’d be reading about a second mass extinction. But sadly, according to the Kansas City Star and Fox2 (out of St. Louis), Honnold notes that Police are planning to send him a ticket for his dangerous role in organizing the “second annual March of the Dinosaurs Sunday at the Country Club Plaza”.

Meanwhile, Kansas City Police spokesman Lionel Colon (who shares no relation with any colon cleansing products) said in an email that the crowd associated with the”flash mob” crowd spilled into the street and presented some safety concerns. Because in this day and age, what doesn’t present a safety concern that old John Law can stick you with a fine, jail time, or a belly full of lead?

Lionel also says the event is under review for possible criminal charges. Boo!!! Yes folks…the message is clear. Such activities are “verboten” these days in the so-called “land of the free”.

snowflake buddies, leftism, parody, satire, cartoon, graphic novelWant to laugh at all the crazy stuff going on in the world today? if so, check out our First Book from Shotwell Publishing30 AMAZING full-color illustrated pages of satire and wit – includes 12 activity pages and an amazing dystopian short story as it appeared on Lew Rockwell.com! And you won’t want to miss our AMAZING store with all the awesome stuff you WANT in order to make a cool statement to everyone you know. Find our store RIGHT HERE!

Source: Libertopia Cartoon – Dinosaur Lives Matter: Police State in Missouri Shuts Down Parade

Episode 108 – Elf (1:06:16)

Festivus, the airing of grievances, and feats of strength.

Twas the night before the night before Christmas…and we’re finally recording.

The wait has been ginormous, but we promise not boring.

Second most Christmas movie ever, after Die Hard of course.

That’s right, we’re doing Elf everyone…Elf!

Never miss an episode. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts to get new episodes as they become available. Continue reading “Episode 108 – Elf (1:06:16)”

Voluntaryist Origins II – Update on Progress + Sneak Peek 7

Hello, Voluntaryist fans!

Thank you so much again for your patience in the adjusted delivery timeline for Voluntaryist Origins II! I appreciate your kindness and consideration as we have been working through the final stages of production.

I wanted to give you the latest update from our publishing group, Short Fuse Media, on the status of the comic. I have been told that the letters will be completed this week and that the art director will make any adjustments to the final letters as he goes through the other edits that were needed.

If things go as planned, the digital comic should be out to you by January 2019, and I will be promptly printing and shipping perks thereafter.

To celebrate this update, I am also including two sneak peeks – a colored panel and a colored card element.

I hope you and yours have a lovely holiday and a happy new year!

Let’s make 2019 the year of growth for liberty culture together!

Yours truly,

-J ( :

voluntaryist origins II sneak peek 7

voluntaryist Card Sneak peek

Source: Volcomic – Voluntaryist Origins II – Update on Progress + Sneak Peek 7

Song Lyrics: SEC Got Run Over By A Bitcoin

To the tune of “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer” by Randy Brooks. Chorus: SEC got run over by a Bitcoin Walking home from the office Christmas Eve You can say there’s no such thing as karma But as for crypto users, we believe Verse 1: They did too much regulating And we tried to tell them so But they hate all innovation So they did all that they could to block the road When we tried to get around them They made threats to shut us down But there’s no clear target to strike For the blockchain is decentralized, you clowns Chorus Verse 2: Now we point and laugh at the Fed They’re not taking this too well Wondering how to run their debt scam If their phony fiat money burns in hell ‘Tis the season for green candles Hope our trades are in the black Don’t forget to check the markets Before you spend Bitcoin that you can’t get back (No charge-backs!) Chorus Verse 3: Now the Lambo’s in the garage And the pizza’s hot and spiced, ahh! And the chikun is arising So the moon is shining brightly through the night Time to help our friends and neighbors Get some crypto for themselves And there should be no BitLicense That keeps businesses from bringing in the wealth Chorus Sing it Satoshi! Chorus Merry Christmas Originally posted at ZerothPosition.com

The post Song Lyrics: SEC Got Run Over By A Bitcoin appeared first on The Zeroth Position.

Source: Reece Liberty.Me – Song Lyrics: SEC Got Run Over By A Bitcoin

Pandemonium! Terror! It’s a Government Shutdown!!!

Government Shutdown, 2018, cartoon, libertarian, illustration, satireWow, two cartoons in two days? I must be on FIRE!!!

Anyway, here we go with pandemonium! Terror! Dogs and cats living together! It’s a Government Shutdown!!! Yep, it’s the Establishment media screaming about how a government shutdown represents the end of the world as we know it. But hey, that’s what they do. And here at libertopia cartoons, laughing at their nonsense and the absurdities of lefties, statists and neoconservatives is what we do – as well as a whole lot more. So get in on the fun, and let us know what you think snowflake buddies, leftism, parody, satire, graphic design, illustration, awesome illustration, snowflake, funny, lulztoday! Also, I know I keep harping on it, but you really gotta check out our latest book published by Shotwell Publishing (sample page at left). Not only am I super proud of it, but it’s very affordable, and a nice piece to put out on your coffee table (or next to the toilet) for friends and neighbors to get a few laughs at. Find it at Shotwell Publishing! 30 AMAZING full-color illustrated pages of satire and wit – includes 12 activity pages and an amazing dystopian short story as it appeared on Lew Rockwell.com! And you won’t want to miss our AMAZING store with all the awesome stuff you WANT in order to make a cool libertarian statement to everyone you know. Find our store RIGHT HERE!

Source: Libertopia Cartoon – Pandemonium! Terror! It’s a Government Shutdown!!!

The Worst Thing About Twitter Censorship is {CENSORED}

twitter, censorship, cartoon, artwork, social media

Social Media Purges? Twitter censorship? Leftist intolerance? After listening to Tom Woods Show Episode 1301 (Transgender Ideologues try to Silence Feminist) and Episode 1302 (Michael Malice on the Continuing Social Media Purges), I had the idea to create the above cartoon. Our cute little twitter bird has now morphed into a monstrous, diseased creature silencing yet another one of it’s victims.

It’s funny, because just the other night we watched “Wreck-it Ralph Breaks the Internet”. It’s a fun movie, but the depictions of google, twitter, facebook and youtube as friendly and magical places seemed a little inaccurate in our troubled times of social media censorship, online spying and tech companies being in bed with the State. What do you think? Let us know!

snowflake buddies, leftism, parody, satire, cartoon, graphic novelDon’t forget to check out our First Book from Shotwell Publishing is available NOW! 30 AMAZING full-color illustrated pages of satire and wit – includes 12 activity pages and an amazing dystopian short story as it appeared on Lew Rockwell.com! And you won’t want to miss our AMAZING store with all the awesome stuff you WANT in order to make a cool statement to everyone you know. Find our store RIGHT HERE!

Source: Libertopia Cartoon – The Worst Thing About Twitter Censorship is {CENSORED}

Memebuster: Old man tries to run with the cool kids

Rarely does one image perfectly capture the times in which we find ourselves. However, before explaining how the above meme is such an example, I’d like to explore another image: specifically, a Rembrandt.

Rembrandt most likely painted The Return of the Prodigal Son within two years of his death in 1699. The painting is so rich that viewers can contemplate it for hours and discern profound artistic and religious insights. A relatively contemporary example of such an exploration is Henri Nouwen’s book on the painting. In a mere 151 pages, Nouwen masterfully addresses the painting from perspectives than I had previously never conceived. Patient readers benefit greatly from the grand conversation that takes place between a religious and a work of art.

In comparison, the above meme is not so much a mirror image of Rembrandt’s masterpiece as its photographic negative. Rather than encouraging one to seek insight and engage in conversation, it mocks and shuts dialogue down. Instead of contemplation, it spews scorn. It does not search for deep truths; it drips with condescension to those deemed inferior.

Now why would a 65-year old former Nobel Prize winner provide cover for a 29-year old former cocktail waitress who won her first Congressional election? After all, she has said some stupid things. Really stupid things, such as incorrectly stating the three branches of governments, not being able to explain how ridiculously-expensive social programs can be paid for, and demonizing industries and individuals for no other reason than they’re successful. Also, notice that Krugman doesn’t say that Ocasi0-Cortez didn’t say stupid things, but that certain people who castigated Ocasio-Cortez are also stupid.

That may be true, but it’s also irrelevant. What Krugman pulls here is a really neat rhetorical trick. By emphasizing “the average GOP house member”, Krugman is trying to stipulate that because the average GOP house member isn’t very bright, anyone criticizing Ocasio-Cortez isn’t very bright, so there’s no point in listening to such criticisms. While avoiding the bloodly actual truth of the matter – that Ocasio-Cortez has said some really stupid things – he uses a slight of hand maintain rhetorical superiority over those who seek to make truth claims. 

In other words, Krugman, once again, is being intellectually dishonest.

But again, why would Krugman do this? Clearly, Krugman is smart enough to understand that Ocasio-Cortez doesn’t know what she’s talking about, and that her socialist policies would be horribly destructive. After all, as Robert Murphy and Tom Woods have consistently demonstrated on their podcast Contra Krugman, Krugman understood how free markets work before becoming a Democratic Party hack at the New York Times.

The only plausible explanation for now is that Krugman sees Ocasio-Cortez as the new wave that is providing new political energy to the Democratic party. She is exciting the base, who have been indoctrinated by American institutions – government, education, and the media (old and new) – to not think for themselves and believe that maintaining the rhetorical high ground is far more important than understanding the truth.

In short, Krugman is setting aside what he understands to be true in order to stay with those who seek to maintain their power. And in this particular case, it’s rather pathetic than an old man, who ought to have accumulated sufficient wisdom to know better, is trying to play with the cool kids.

By showing an old hack providing cover for an ignorant newbie, this meme perfectly captures the state of American institutions in general and the Democratic party in particular.

The American left is bankrupt: financially, intellectually, and morally. It has run out of ideas for maintaining a relatively stable hold over the American populace. If it has any hope of maintaining the power it has held since the dawn of the progressive era, it must castigate and block those who no longer believe in their dogma. Why else are critics, both caustic (such as Alex Jones) and bland (such as Sargon of Akkad), being removed from social media platforms in an organized manner?

The problem with an bankrupt entity, particularly one whose actions have created numerous and increasing adversaries, is that it is much less effective each time it reacts to a new threat. There is no well from which to dwell water. The jig is up. The fix is in. There’s no there there.

So if Krugman and Ocasio-Cortez and their ilk want to continue to living on a rhetorical ground based on the quicksand of lies, that’s their prerogative. As for me, I’d rather stand on the rock of truth than the sands of time. For now, they may have the high ground, but my feet feel sure.

So that leads to my final question.

Is this really the game you want to play, bitches?

If so, then let’s play.

The post Memebuster: Old man tries to run with the cool kids appeared first on A Simple Fool.

Source: A Simple Fool – Memebuster: Old man tries to run with the cool kids