Ep. 100 Even Tyrannical Regimes Ultimately Rest on Public Opinion
Summarizing insights from Mises, Hume, and La Boetie, Bob argues that even the worst tyrants ultimately stay in power because other people obey them. If the people withdraw their support from a regime, it will fall.
Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest:
- Gene Sharp’s book, From Dictatorship to Democracy. #CommissionsEarned (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
- Etienne de la Boetie’s “A Discourse of Voluntary Servitude” (with an introduction by Rothbard).
- Details on Bob’s April 20 Soho Forum debate. (Use promo code “bob” for a discount.)
- Help support the Bob Murphy Show.
The audio production for this episode was provided by Podsworth Media.
About the author, Robert
Christian and economist, Chief Economist at infineo, and Senior Fellow with the Mises Institute.
One nuance not mentioned (?) but was almost there, is that the state is a profit center for the immoral (sociopaths). That profit can come from direct compensation, healthcare, pensions, extra vacation, an easy job, immune to moral accountability, access to weapons, skipping the bread line, better housing than the serfs, supplying black markets with “redistributed” goods or foreign aid, etc. A tyrant as you mentioned is never just an individual but a collective.
This guy elaborates on the same concept.
https://www.cgpgrey.com/blog/rules-for-rulers
If Bob is looking for an interesting interview then might be a potential place to start a discussion.
“Only the individual thinks.
Only the individual reasons.
Only the individual acts.”
-Ludwig von Mises
What a fantastic episode Bob!
Love, from France.