Political Thought Through the Ages, with David Gordon, Starts Tonight!

by Mises Academy Updates on June 14, 2012

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Libertarians believe in at most a strictly limited state. Throughout the history of political philosophy, this has not been the dominant view.  Why do political thinkers think that obedience to the state is justified? What rights, if any, do people have? Do any of the thinkers lend support to libertarian themes? These are among the question we will explore in this course.

Political Thought Through the Ages will be based on readings from the great political philosophers, including Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau. We’ll also consider libertarian arguments against the state, advanced by Lysander Spooner and Murray Rothbard.  It will come as no surprise that I accept these libertarian arguments, but we’ll look at what critics of the libertarian viewpoint have said as well.

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Jhaydhie July 9, 2012 at 11:26 am

Nick, Good questions.I agree that racail-separatist beliefs, at least of a formal kind, are not particularly common among whites, but such beliefs are very common among blacks and other non-whites. I recently saw a poll indicating that support for secession was much higher among blacks and Hispanics than among whites, and I suspect this is due in part to the influence of racail-nationalist ideologies among the minority groups.Any serious effort to dismantle the US empire, the federal Leviathan, the corporatist economy and the domestic police state at every level, will likely require the support of large numbers of the minority populations, because they tend to be the most hostile to the establishment, are disproportionately represented among the lower classes, have the least to lose from rejecting the present system, etc. The anti-establishment sectors of the minorities tend, for whatever reason, to drift towards racail-nationalist movements of different kinds, as opposed to the more mainstream groups like the NAACP, which is largely an organization of the black bourgeoisie, or simply to urban black or Hispanic gangs.I’m more into cultural separatism than racail separatism. I think it’s wonderful that left-wing environmentalists, libertarians, conservative Christians and Confederate nostalgists are currently working together to dissolve the US empire. The way to bring the minorities into such an effort is to recognize those groups that actually lead and organize actually existing blacks, etc. who might have a common interest in dissolving the empire.Realistically speaking, any dismantling of the US federal system is likely to necessitate a settlement to America’s historic racail conflicts. I think the Americans for Self-Determination Plans advocacy of decentralization along cultural, racail, ethnic and regional lines, combined with reparations used as economic incentives for the creation of politically autonomous, culturally independent, economically viable states for the minority groups, to be phased in gradually and peacefully is the best bet and the best alternative to both racism and authoritarian multiculturalism. Also, as the center-left becomes increasingly dominant because of demographic trends, the various conservative sectors will likely become more radicalized as they come under greater attacks by the state (Waco, Ruby Ridge, etc.) We saw prototypes for this in the 90s with the militias, etc. White-racialist movements may grow in response to increased attacks on whites at various levels (flagrant discrimination and double standards, attacks on free speech, violent repression, etc.) I suspect support for separatist ideas will grown considerably on the Right in the years and decades ahead, including the white right. I don’t it will necessarily be a white right modeled on the Klan, Nazis,etc. as much as stuff that has a libertarian, decentralist component to it, or a radical-countercultural dimension (like national-anarchism ). Look at the effects of ethnic tribalism in Iraq and Afghan. To encourage the philosophic bearers of these ideas is to play with fire. Actually, Iraq is a very good example of where the present system is heading. During the centuries of Ottoman rule, tribes, clans, ethnic groups, etc, were granted a fair amount of autonomy as were religions under the millet system. The British came in after WWI and forced incompatible tribal and religious groups under the same political roof and under the guise of artificial nation-states. This could only be kept together under strongman rule like that of the Ba’athists (who were fairly progressive by Middle Eastern standards) and now that that’s gone, it’s chaos.The present US system is one where rival cultural factions are permanently at war to control the central state and impose their entire vision on society. Plus, groups with a lengthy history of mutual antagonism are forced together and played off against one another under the cover of egalitarian pieties. Keep this up and America will eventually look a lot like Iraq. What happens when one of them has a child and won’t let them date a member of another race?’Yeah, so what? Parents object to their kids’ lovers for all kinds of reasons, not just race. One of the sad but true facts of life is that you don’t get to pick who your parents. I recall hearing a comedian sometime in the 70s saying if kids could pick their parents, everyone would pick Mick and Bianca Jagger. There are still the questions of violations of rights occurring in the commune.. Such as? All human communities have rules of some kind. the freedom of children.. Freedom of children to do what? Runaway from home? Let em go for it, and good luck to em. and the prevention of slavery (i.e. if they get violent and prevent people from leaving) That’s pretty far-fetched. With the possible exception of some of the craziest Neo-Nazi groups, I don’t really know of any racailists who hold to that position.

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