Tag: Ayn Rand
An Individualist Feminism
A common idea on some parts of the internet is this idea of “redpilling,” and that if you take the “red pill,” you awaken to a new way of thinking. This darkly ironic appropriation of a term coined by trans women, the Wachowskis, usually includes becoming a TERF and anti-feminist, (although it may also include…
The Enemy of the Individual
Ayn Rand wrote that “Fascism, Nazism, Communism, and Socialism are only superficial variations of the same monstrous theme – collectivism.” However, I think this should be changed to reflect all the forms that collectivism, the enemy of liberty, can take. This new maxim would be “Fascism, Nazism, Communism, Statist Socialism, and Capitalism are superficial variations…
Who the Real Looters Are
If there’s one common theme that unites the economic Right — conservatives, right-libertarians and disciples of Ayn Rand — it’s that looting is bad and extremely prevalent. And they’re all pretty much agreed on who the looters are, besides. The framing has been pretty much the same going back at least to that (possibly Snopesbait)…
Lego and the Building Blocks of Patriarchy
The Lego corporation, popular producer of interlocking miniature toy bricks, has recently been making increased efforts to market its toys to girls. Some of these efforts have met with criticism from feminists, who worry about toys that are stereotypically “girly” in a way that reinforces traditional gender roles. In a recent piece titled “Un-PC Lego…
End the Real War on Christmas: War
Imagine it’s the week of Christmas and you’re far away from home. There is no chance that you will see your family or your once familiar friends in time. You miss the taste of pizza and there’s likely no gifts waiting for you around the corner. You’ve been far away from home for a while….
Tony Dreher Interviews Kelly Vee
C4SS’s Tony Dreher (Senior Fellow & Audio/Visual Coordinator) and Kelly Vee (Advisor & Intern) recently sat down for a discussion surrounding Vee’s intellectual roots and her metamorphosis into a vegan, individualist anarcha-feminist. The audio clip is a little over 20 minutes.
Why I Am a Left Libertarian on Feed 44
C4SS Feed 44 presents Jeff Riggenbach‘s “Why I Am a Left Libertarian” edited by Nick Ford and read by Riggenbach himself. Many libertarians say the traditional Left/Right political spectrum has become meaningless and useless. But to the extent that this is true for them, this is only because they have allowed themselves to be befuddled…
Doing Anarchism Yourself
Introduction by Chad Nelson Involvement in the anarchist movement sometimes feels like a futile enterprise. How to get from here to there in a “real” world dominated by statists and authoritarians is a dilemma that confounds even the most sure-footed of anarchists. And when attaching oneself to an anarchist organization, it’s easy to be pessimistic…
Natural Law, or Don’t Put a Rubber on Your Willy
The laws of God, the laws of Man, He may keep who will, and can; Not I: let God and man decree Laws for themselves and not for me. –A.E. Housman Political Myth and Self-Hypnosis A rose by any other name Would never, never smell the same And cunning is the nose that knows An…
Illuminating Discord: An Interview with Robert Anton Wilson
Illuminating Discord: An interview with Robert Anton Wilson By Jane Talisman and Eric Geislinger (Columbia Region New Libertarian Alliance) (Originally published in New Libertarian Notes/Weekly 39, September 5, 1976; reprinted at RAWillumination.net) CRNLA: Tell us a little about your background. RAW: I was born into a working class Irish Catholic family in Brooklyn 44 years…
Why I Am a Left Libertarian
Many libertarians say the traditional Left/Right political spectrum has become meaningless and useless. But to the extent that this is true for them, this is only because they have allowed themselves to be befuddled by political fraud and, perhaps, by a weak background in political history. The spectrum is just as useful and meaningful as…
Another Silly Jab at Libertarianism
The problem with responding to Alan Wolfe’s feeble attempt to critique libertarianism is that one might appear to be defending the particular people he targets: namely, Rand Paul and Ayn Rand. (Rand Paul was not named after Ayn Rand. At least Wolfe avoided that error.) I want to defend the libertarian philosophy without defending Rand…
The Weekly Libertarian Leftist Review 79
David Sirota discusses the parade of phony GOP “libertarians”. Charles Burris on why Ayn Rand got Robin Hood wrong. Eric Margolis discusses a WW1 Churchill crime. Steven Horowitz discusses how capitalism contributed to feminism and gay marriage. Justin Raimondo discusses the Saudi state as our enemy. Doug Bandow discusses why America should say no to…
The Weekly Libertarian Leftist Review 72
Robert Parry discusses risking nuclear war for the sake of Ukraine. Thomas Harrington discusses the aftermath of the Kosovo intervention. Eric Margolis discusses the Hitler path. Ajamu Nangwaya discusses the struggle for liberation in Haiti. Ron Jacobs discusses an assassination carried out by Pinochet’s forces. Andrew Levine discusses Obama and potential war with Russia. Gene…
Contemplating Economic vs Political Power and Power in Left-Wing Market Anarchy
Ayn Rand stated: Now let me define the difference between economic power and political power: economic power is exercised by means of a positive, by offering men a reward, an incentive, a payment, a value; political power is exercised by means of a negative, by the threat of punishment, injury, imprisonment, destruction. True enough in…
Response To Al Carroll On Libertarianism: Part One
Al Carroll recently penned a piece titled The Moral and Practical Failures of Libertarianism and Small Government Conservatism. This will be a point by point refutation. Let’s begin. Al writes: In economics, both orthodox Communism and Libertarianism are equally wrong, callous, and dangerous examples of ideological blindness, a set of principles taken to an extreme…
Yet Another Attack on Libertarianism by Lynn Stuart Parramore: Part Two
This is the second part of my two part series on Lynn Stuart Parramore’s recent article titled How Piketty’s Bombshell Book Blew Up Libertarian Fantasies. Let’s get started. She writes: By 1987, Ayn Rand acolyte Alan Greenspan had taken over as head of the Federal Reserve, and free market fever was unleashed upon America. Alan…
Thoughts On Legality And Morality
What is the proper relation between legality and morality? To friends I stated that what was morally required is not what is legally required. This post is an exploration of my evolving thought on this issue. In the process of thinking further about it, I discovered a revised train of thought. As Ayn Rand stated:…
What Social Animals Owe to Each Other
If I were compelled to summarize the libertarian philosophy’s distinguishing feature while standing on one foot, I’d say the following: Every person owes it to all other persons not to aggress them. This is known as the nonaggression principle, or NAP. What is the nature of this obligation? The first thing to notice is that…
Ayn Rand, Nihilism, And Egoism
Is there a connection between egoism and nihilism? Does Ayn Rand’s brand of ethical egoism amount to a form of nihilism? These are the questions addressed in this blog post. Let us turn to dictionary.com for a definition of nihilism: ni·hil·ism: 1. total rejection of established laws and institutions. 2. anarchy, terrorism, or other revolutionary activity. 3. total…
Anarchy and Democracy
Fighting Fascism
Markets Not Capitalism
The Anatomy of Escape
Organization Theory