What do libertarians mean by the terms statist and statism?
Statism is the belief that it’s moral for The State to initiate force. Statism holds that…
Who are the left-statists and right-statists?
It’s more accurate to describe liberals and conservatives as left-statists and right-statists. People who go by the labels liberal and
Do statists have a P-P problem?
P-P problem Left- and right-statists are united in a shared hypocrisy.
Should anyone have coercive authority over others?
No one is qualified to rule or obey The Milgram and Stanford experiments refute…
Is The State the country?
The State is NOT the country. The State is merely one institution among many. Many people think…
Are society and community the same thing as The State?
The State’s violence is inherently anti-social and anti-community? Because Statists mistakenly assume that The State is the country, they also…
Is The State a form of cooperation?
Initiated-force negates cooperation Statists misunderstand cooperation for the same reason they…
Is statism actually compassionate?
Which is more compassionate, socialism or post-statism? Most left-statists act as if they have a monopoly on compassion. When voluntaryistsWhat is the central principle of politics today?
The Pro-Aggression Principle, but there’s an alternative Is it really accurate to call pro-aggression a principle?
Can statist policies be enforced without murder?
Statists must be willing to destroy dissenters. ‘I can’t breathe’
What do libertarians propose as the alternative to state coercion?
Persuasion is pro-empathy, pro-social, pro-community, and pro-cooperation. Statists have the same…
Is statism generous?
Donation vs Extortion Does taxing others prove you’re generous?
Are statists robbing your charities?
Charity Robbing Would you give more money to charity if you were taxed less?
Why should you oppose all business taxes?
Companies collect taxes, their customers pay them Businesses never pay taxes
Can The State cure selfishness and greed?
Statism is selfishness and greed Selfishness and greed are normally self-punishing…
Do more laws make things better or worse?
The Boomerang Effect Some statist policies create problems, instead of solving them
Do “free riders” justify initiated-force?
Free-riders are NOT a problem, therefore no solution is needed. Free riders are…
Do externalities justify initiated force?
The ultimate negative externality Get something pay nothing. Pay nothing get something. Statists see a problem.
Do the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few?
You’re too small A license to murder individuals for the benefit of others.
Do some people need to be monitored and disciplined by their "betters?"
You’re too stupid Statist argument from arrogance.
Can any particular good outcome justify The State?
Using individual good outcomes to justify initiated-force is Cargo Cult Statism. Statists justify…
Can initiated force be harnessed for good?
When statists blame opposition for their failed policies. Dictator Fallacy
How should The State be evaluated?
You must learn to count all the costs. Statists fail to evaluate The State correctly. They…
Can a cost-benefit analysis justify initiated force?
A Complete Accounting No complete analysis is ever actually done.
Can “social science” justify initiated force? Part 1
Social science failure 1 Science requires a controlled experiment.
Can "social science" justify initiated force? Part 2
Social science failure 2 You are more than a number.
Are fears of even modest State growth reasonable?
Statism is creepy A little expansion today becomes greater power tomorrow.
Can initiated force be limited?
The Limited State Myth Constitutions contain the very powers that are used to shred the document.
Can The State be controlled?
The Constitution The Constitution has NOT controlled The State’s criminality…
Does initiated force solve social problems or beget more violence?
Pandora’s Box Initiated force, once unleashed, brings with it…
Comments 3
A question I propose be added: “What is the opportunity cost of the state?” That may be too wide-ranging a question to be “boil-downable” for the format here. If so, a longer treatment is in order elsewhere.
Thanks for your work here! Keep building the future!
Hi Jamie. We’ll definitely consider your suggestion. We have a long list of things we plan to add.
This is just more fun to post places than almost anything else I link to ! (with the exception of the Gracearchy episodes) There are so many reasons to post it on forums that get political – it wakes people up to principles they would likely normally affirm.