I think this period in history is a perfect opportunity to spread the ideas of the Austrian School. I would like to make this thread one to invite members to share ideas on how best to seize this opportunity and educate the public about the dangers of allowing government to manipulate the economy.
I have recently gone to OfficeMax and had made a rubber stamp that reads "What has government done to our money?" and "http://mises.org" underneath. I have been stamping FRNs with this stamp. It is a tactic used by many, many groups including the Free State Project, local Libertarian Parties, gay activists and people who support the decriminalization of marijuana. The advantage of this sort of advertising is that because money has value (with or without a stamp) people are not likely to throw it away even if they disagree with the message. Money also reaches people of all demographic groups.
So, what are your ideas? What have you done? What do you think people should be doing more of (or, less of)?. What works? What doesn't? Are there things we Austrians can learn from other groups?
Что делать?
I am an eklektarchist not an anarchist.
Educational Pamphlet Mises Group
What do gays stamp on their FRNs?
If you find something evil that wobbles, push it. - Gary North
liberty student: What do gays stamp on their FRNs?
I found a website by someone who collects stamped bills. Some gay people stamp it with the words GAY MONEY. Here is the site:
http://www.cruelty.com/money/
Well I think on the intellectual scale we should develop a philosophy based on Rothbard's works. We should do everything in our power to make sure it doesn't evolve into a closed system like objectivism. My first arguement for us developing "Rothbardianism"; hell if a fourth rate philosoper like Marx can philosopy named after him, why not a man of Murray's intellect?
It seems to me that Agorism is derived from Rothabrds works and many agorists, like Murray, subscribe to natural law, virtue ethics, and rothbards reflectionist approach to economics. All of which Mises did not hold. I think what was lacking from Rothbards works was a fully flshed out theory of class and I believe Konkin and Long have done much to advance one from his works and others. So i think that Rothbardianism may already loosely exist. I myself consider my beliefs extreme Rothbardian.
But then again, it might NEVER exist, and for good a reason that I am quite proud of... getting libertarians to herd together is like trying to herd cats. Its just not in our nature
The state is a disease and Liberty is the both the victim and the only means to a lasting cure.
to the OP:
what if you used this whole URL?: http://mises.org/money.asp to link them directly to Rothbards piece?
I very much like your idea. I might have to steal it and add strike-the-root.com and a few others to a stamp collection :-P
Reflectionist? Do you mean epistemologically?
To darkness I condemn you...
Nick. B: Well I think on the intellectual scale we should develop a philosophy based on Rothbard's works. We should do everything in our power to make sure it doesn't evolve into a closed system like objectivism. My first arguement for us developing "Rothbardianism"; hell if a fourth rate philosoper like Marx can philosopy named after him, why not a man of Murray's intellect?
I've always thought of Rothbard as a less confused, 20th century, less charismatic, Anti-Marx.
"I cannot prove, but am prepared to affirm, that if you take care of clarity in reasoning, most good causes will take care of themselves, while some bad ones are taken care of as a matter of course." -Anthony de Jasay
Seasteading.
If austrian economics is correct a seasteading community based on it should eventually out compete other nations for drawing smart people. I envision a seasteading university that starts attracting more and more bright minds from around the globe who then leave to start businesses. these businesses should out-compete others.
this should be a self-sustaining process unless the universalists/collectivists see what we are doing and declare us terrorists.
ThorsMitersaw: to the OP: what if you used this whole URL?: http://mises.org/money.asp to link them directly to Rothbards piece? I very much like your idea. I might have to steal it and add strike-the-root.com and a few others to a stamp collection :-P
Feel free to steal it. I hereby place that idea into the public domain :) It isn't really mine originally. Others at the Free State Project had a stamp long before I had one made. It could give the whole URL but I guess my thinking was that the question had a double meaning. If people wanted to know what happened to thier money they could find out what was going on right now through the main page and if they wanted to read the famous Rothbard work they could do that as well.
Jon Irenicus: Reflectionist? Do you mean epistemologically?
I'm pretty sure he does. Rothbard does take a reflectionist position, if I recall correctly, although I think Long is correct in instead transcending the reflectionist-impositionist dichotomy.
Market anarchist, Linux geek, aspiring Perl hacker, and student of the neo-Aristotelians, the classical individualist anarchists, and the Austrian school.
nazgulnarsil: Seasteading. If austrian economics is correct a seasteading community based on it should eventually out compete other nations for drawing smart people. I envision a seasteading university that starts attracting more and more bright minds from around the globe who then leave to start businesses. these businesses should out-compete others. this should be a self-sustaining process unless the universalists/collectivists see what we are doing and declare us terrorists.
Artificial island or cruise ship? They are building artificial islands in the Middle East (UAE?) With enough cash we could hire those contracters when they get done perhaps. Cruise ships would take less money up front but more money long term.
Transcend the reflectionist-impositionist dichotomy!
That could be the 12th Commandment, after this one:
Thou shalt not immanentize the eschaton!
ryanpatgray: Artificial island or cruise ship? They are building artificial islands in the Middle East (UAE?) With enough cash we could hire those contracters when they get done perhaps. Cruise ships would take less money up front but more money long term.
There's already one such ship. It's basically a floating condo for retired zillionaires. Not sure if that's the direction you want to go.
I like Stranger's idea. Find a coastal town somewhere and get the locals to sell it to you. Grow trade and investment and equip for defense. Then declare independence.
nazgulnarsil:this should be a self-sustaining process unless the universalists/collectivists see what we are doing and declare us terrorists.
Wouldn't take long I guess :-)
Yet, a good idea worth putting some thought into.
In the begining there was nothing, and it exploded.
Terry Pratchett (on the big bang theory)
ThorsMitersaw: It seems to me that Agorism is derived from Rothabrds works and many agorists, like Murray, subscribe to natural law, virtue ethics, and rothbards reflectionist approach to economics. All of which Mises did not hold. I think what was lacking from Rothbards works was a fully flshed out theory of class and I believe Konkin and Long have done much to advance one from his works and others. So i think that Rothbardianism may already loosely exist. I myself consider my beliefs extreme Rothbardian. But then again, it might NEVER exist, and for good a reason that I am quite proud of... getting libertarians to herd together is like trying to herd cats. Its just not in our nature
We need a Rothbard "Rothbardianism". It's more for the intellectuals; for some reason they flock to things with isms, anity, or ology, don't ask me why. And also it would get some of these academics off their obsession over Marxism. The fact is we're gonna need a couple sheep if we want political influence.
Solid_Choke: Nick. B: Well I think on the intellectual scale we should develop a philosophy based on Rothbard's works. We should do everything in our power to make sure it doesn't evolve into a closed system like objectivism. My first arguement for us developing "Rothbardianism"; hell if a fourth rate philosoper like Marx can philosopy named after him, why not a man of Murray's intellect? I've always thought of Rothbard as a less confused, 20th century, less charismatic, Anti-Marx.
Exactly, we need an anti-marx. We need a powerful idealolagy for the intelluctauls to be happy. So they'll be happy to give up their precious Marxism in the name of a new god to worship. A new far reaching Libertarian idealogical philsophy.
Nick. B: We need a Rothbard "Rothbardianism". It's more for the intellectuals; for some reason they flock to things with isms, anity, or ology, don't ask me why. And also it would get some of these academics off their obsession over Marxism. The fact is we're gonna need a couple sheep if we want political influence.
As I recall, the obsession over Marxism began as a reaction to the Cold War. There is a certain type of intellectual who reacts against their own society for the sake of reacting against their own society. Perhaps we simply need to emphasize just how against our current paradigm anarco-capitalism really is. Then we might attract the type of intellectual who was once starry-eyed over Marx.
Nick. B:We need a Rothbard "Rothbardianism". It's more for the intellectuals; for some reason they flock to things with isms, anity, or ology, don't ask me why.
Or alternatively we need to move forward. Rothbard was wonderful don't get me wrong, he's done more for the libertarian movement than anybody else, he practically founded the modern libertarian movement. Granted, I think Mises was a better economist, but I don't really know since I've not read HA, or even a lot by either of them. In any case despite the contributions made by Rothbard, which were numerous, we need to build on that and move forward, much as Hoppe has done. Hoppe is moving libertarianism forward from Rothbard. With D:TGTF, he brilliantly extends praxeology to anaylse the state and compare democracy and monarchy, and is correct where Rothbard was wrong in terms of democracy as a step up from monarchy. I've still yet to read The Ethics and Economics of Private Property, but from what I understand Rothbard thought very highly of Hoppe's attempt to extend praxeology into the field of ethics. In any case, all I am saying is that it isn't necessary to make a cult out of him.
This brings me onto the second part of your post.
Nick. B:The fact is we're gonna need a couple sheep if we want political influence.
No we don't need sheep, we need a small group of libertarian intellectuals with a radical message to focus on a few key areas in order to promote secession. We also need entrepreneurs willing to put the words of these intellectuals into practise, this means forming PDAs and free banks instead of merely talking about it.
Sheep don't do anything, the masses never have and never will. Relying on them is silly. The libertarian movement needs to purge various factions, continue to purify and extend it's theories and to combine them. Libertarians spend far too much time attacking each other to do anything to challenge the state.
"You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows"
Bob Dylan
Sheep don't do anything, the masses never have and never will. Relying on them is silly. The libertarian movement needs to purge various factions, continue to purify and extend it's theories and to combine them. Libertarians spend far too much time attacking each other to do anything to challenge the state. We also need to drop the words libertarian, anarchist and capitalist.
Libertarian is ugly.
Whereas the other two are only ever going to get negative emotional reactions. Anarchism is associated with leftist thugs who do nothing other than throw bricks and bombs throught windows, at best people think of angsty teenagers who listen to punk when they hear the word. Capitalism apparently represents the status quo. The truth is libertarians don't want to abolish the government, we want to establish competing providers of defence, which thankfully is far more palatable.
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