Ep. 259 Responding to the Dave Smith/Curtis Yarvin Discussion on Libertarianism, Part 2
Bob addresses Curtis Yarvin’s physics analogies that supposedly show libertarianism is akin to Newtonian physics, since it leaves out the need to use violence to establish order.
Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest:
- BMS ep. 258, which is Part 1 of Bob’s response.
- The Michael Malice episode featuring Yarvin vs. Smith.
- Ben Powell and co-authors show that Somalia under anarchy did well.
- Bob’s essays on Private Law and Private Defense.
- 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.
I can’t believe so much time has been wasted on such a bad analogy!
The purpose of an analogy is to relate something the listener already knows to something they are not yet familiar with. Given that the number of people versed in Newtonian and Einsteinian physics is relatively small, and perhaps indeterminant, it is probably not the best starting place to provide a better understanding of our current situation.
To more fully understand and explain the true nature of the state I take a different approach, comparing the state to a class of deadly and destructive cultural contagions, or viruses. Blighting human culture for millennia, these cultural viruses have been responsible for a number of well-known and particularly repugnant anti-social diseases. Among these are slavery, war and human sacrifice, though perhaps I repeat myself.
One thing all of these viruses of statism have in common is a particularly malevolent piece of DNA. This DNA, or cultural meme, to use Dawkin’s terminology, is known as the idea that “the ends justify the means”. Marxism is one of its most deadly expressions.
For those interested in exploring these ideas, along with a visual introduction to the NAP, please join me at TheNonAggressionPrinciple.com