lauantai 23. marraskuuta 2013
Use Tor Browser
Unencrypted browsing with HTTP is unsafe because the National Security Agency and similar can eavesdrop. Rather use HTTPS that is encrypted. HTTPS may be cracked. A direct connection to a site is also a security risk because it reveals a connection. Therefore I recommend Tor Browser from the Tor Project that can downloaded from its site https://www.torproject.org/ Tor routes communications so that the NSA and similar cannot see with which sites what sites you are in contact.
sunnuntai 13. lokakuuta 2013
Voluntaryism is an Idea of Voluntary Except when Capitalism is at Risk
Voluntaryism can mean a libertarian idea that human relationships should be voluntary. I don't very much like the word voluntaryism because I think that it promises
too much: coercive measures are sometimes necessary for the
maintenance of human rights. So
far, there is crime, including organized crime, such as States,
against which coercive measures are necessary if we are to maintain
freedom.
Non-aggression principle is an important principle of voluntaryism. It has the same problem as voluntaryism, that aggression is virtually impossible to always avoid if you want to maintain human rights. I mean I think that aggression is sometimes necessary to fight crime. So I am not an extreme pacifist.
I prefer the term anarcho-capitalism, which has been considered a synonym of voluntaryism. The term capitalism brings to most people's mind sometime coercive measures to maintain private property. So I am a Hobbesian in the sense that I believe that capitalism needs sovereigns and sometime coercive measures. The problem with "capitalism", however, is that it has traditionally been connected to the state and the mixed economy, which is not the private ownership I want.
Anarcho-capitalism is, by name too, a branch of anarchism, and has anarchism also a lot of problems in terms of communication. Anarchists themselves can resist capitalism, so anarcho-capitalism is a controversial term among anarcho-socialists, too. Anarchism is generally perceived a utopian ideology that advocates extreme pacifism and opposes an organized society. On the other hand anarcho-socialists oppose anarcho-capitalism's spontaneous order and that opposition is quite well known and associated with the term anarchism.
The word voluntarism has still the problem that it may refer to politics of will and in my understanding the Finnish language has done so. Extreme leftists have typically been voluntarists, which is a bad association in communication if you do not mean it.
Non-aggression principle is an important principle of voluntaryism. It has the same problem as voluntaryism, that aggression is virtually impossible to always avoid if you want to maintain human rights. I mean I think that aggression is sometimes necessary to fight crime. So I am not an extreme pacifist.
I prefer the term anarcho-capitalism, which has been considered a synonym of voluntaryism. The term capitalism brings to most people's mind sometime coercive measures to maintain private property. So I am a Hobbesian in the sense that I believe that capitalism needs sovereigns and sometime coercive measures. The problem with "capitalism", however, is that it has traditionally been connected to the state and the mixed economy, which is not the private ownership I want.
Anarcho-capitalism is, by name too, a branch of anarchism, and has anarchism also a lot of problems in terms of communication. Anarchists themselves can resist capitalism, so anarcho-capitalism is a controversial term among anarcho-socialists, too. Anarchism is generally perceived a utopian ideology that advocates extreme pacifism and opposes an organized society. On the other hand anarcho-socialists oppose anarcho-capitalism's spontaneous order and that opposition is quite well known and associated with the term anarchism.
The word voluntarism has still the problem that it may refer to politics of will and in my understanding the Finnish language has done so. Extreme leftists have typically been voluntarists, which is a bad association in communication if you do not mean it.
torstai 26. syyskuuta 2013
Why Social Liberalism Does Not Make Sense
I don't consider social liberalism or welfare state liberalism very sensible but prefer libertarianism. Surely I support
social liberalism in the sense of an ideology supporting social liberties as all liberals do. Social liberalism in the sense of a welfare state, however, requires so wide a concentration of power to the state that I believe it to harm more than benefit.
Social liberalism could be at least in the short term be beneficial to some due to its income transfers but in the long term a welfare state slows down economic growth so much that it is more harmful. In the long term, economic growth decides the future of poverty - the faster the economic growth, the less poverty. A welfare state slows down economic growth because it is financed by taxes taken from the productive and because it encourages leisure. No way of organizing a welfare state has been invented that would not passivate. Also a basic income, a negative income tax or a social account passivates. Also at its best a welfare state passivates.
In practice a welfare state is difficult to even organize so that it would just transfer income to the poor. A welfare state requires concentration of power to the state, which has so far always lead to quite insane politics. Interest group politics leads, according to public choice theory, easily to capture by small special interest groups, then they get themselves unreasonable benefits at the expense of the majority. This happens therefore also in a quite democratic welfare state.
The absurdities of the welfare state can be explained to a large extent by the history of its ideas, which are shared by social liberalism. At the end of the 19th century, socialists and conservatives agreed on that capitalism is unfair and that reforms or even a revolution are needed. Social liberalism was born from that same feeling. Social liberals, however, saw that the concept of liberalism had to be renewed according to the new atmosphere of ideologies.
True, already many classical liberals supported some kind of welfare state. For example Adam Smith and Thomas Jefferson supported state subsidy to education. The fallacies of social liberalism were thus not quite new but occurred to a smaller extent already in classical liberalism. It is understandable that in the era of classical liberalism economics had not developed enough and that there was not as much bad experience accumulated of public education. Social liberalism according to its own view diverges from classical liberalism by supporting wider state involvement in the economy.
Social liberalism could be salvaged by combining it with panarchism or the right to secede from the state freely, or tax freedom, when social expenses would be financed voluntarily. Then a welfare state would work like an insurance company or mutual aid association and its actions would no longer be reproachable. It is, however, questionable, whether such can be called a state anymore. To the hallmarks of a state belong, according to many definitions, compulsion and taxation.
Social liberalism could be at least in the short term be beneficial to some due to its income transfers but in the long term a welfare state slows down economic growth so much that it is more harmful. In the long term, economic growth decides the future of poverty - the faster the economic growth, the less poverty. A welfare state slows down economic growth because it is financed by taxes taken from the productive and because it encourages leisure. No way of organizing a welfare state has been invented that would not passivate. Also a basic income, a negative income tax or a social account passivates. Also at its best a welfare state passivates.
In practice a welfare state is difficult to even organize so that it would just transfer income to the poor. A welfare state requires concentration of power to the state, which has so far always lead to quite insane politics. Interest group politics leads, according to public choice theory, easily to capture by small special interest groups, then they get themselves unreasonable benefits at the expense of the majority. This happens therefore also in a quite democratic welfare state.
The absurdities of the welfare state can be explained to a large extent by the history of its ideas, which are shared by social liberalism. At the end of the 19th century, socialists and conservatives agreed on that capitalism is unfair and that reforms or even a revolution are needed. Social liberalism was born from that same feeling. Social liberals, however, saw that the concept of liberalism had to be renewed according to the new atmosphere of ideologies.
True, already many classical liberals supported some kind of welfare state. For example Adam Smith and Thomas Jefferson supported state subsidy to education. The fallacies of social liberalism were thus not quite new but occurred to a smaller extent already in classical liberalism. It is understandable that in the era of classical liberalism economics had not developed enough and that there was not as much bad experience accumulated of public education. Social liberalism according to its own view diverges from classical liberalism by supporting wider state involvement in the economy.
Social liberalism could be salvaged by combining it with panarchism or the right to secede from the state freely, or tax freedom, when social expenses would be financed voluntarily. Then a welfare state would work like an insurance company or mutual aid association and its actions would no longer be reproachable. It is, however, questionable, whether such can be called a state anymore. To the hallmarks of a state belong, according to many definitions, compulsion and taxation.
torstai 19. syyskuuta 2013
Dictatorship of the Proletariat is Not Social Justice
The
welfare state is based on John Rawls's A Theory of Justice, which is
actually a theory of the dictatorship of the proletariat, as it prescribes that only the worst off matter. Methinks, the dictatorship of the proletariat is wrong because also other people than the proletarians matter. Originally the dictatorship of the proletariat was a concept of socialism. The welfare state has a lot in common with socialism. Both the welfare state and socialism seek to improve the lot of the badly off at the expense of the well-off. Pursuing the dictatorship
of the proletariat does not improve the lot of even the badly off because it is impossible to implement and is
in fact a dictatorship over the proletariat, which the socialists oppose.Even if you don't support John Rawls's theory, the welfare state is a
dictatorship anyway because it is based on the state's dictation. Maybe behind the welfare state, a democracy, too, is a dictatorship of the majority because there is no unanimity. The welfare state's ability to create well-being is very questionable since it creates disutility with its dictation. A unanimous decision creates well-being more likely than a divided one does because unanimity guarantees all consider the decision to be advantageous.The purpose of the welfare state, social justice is thus not very social. The word "social" comes from the Latin word "socius", which means a comrade. Dictation
is not social because you don't dictate to a comrade but take his will into account, so the welfare state is not social and
is therefore unable to carry out social justice. According to Arrow's paradox, democracy is unable to take the will of all into account. Even a democratic welfare state is thus in reality a dictatorship. The social justice of a welfare
state is, therefore, verbal magic, which seeks
to appeal to social and justice, but in reality is not them.
The welfare state is suffering from the same problem as most branches of socialism: it seeks to social by antisocial and authoritarian state means. In socialism, by means of verbal magic they try to create an impression that the socialist state is a prerequisite for social, even though in reality they are incompatible. Socialism and the welfare state spring from a sense of injustice and the illusion that a rational planned economy is to achieve a fairer society. Socialism is based, like the welfare state, on a false belief that a free market economy is antisocial and unfair. It is a misconception because it is wrong to regard past inequities of mixed economies as inevitable characteristics of a free market economy. Socialism is not a rational ideology because it accuses a free market economy of injustices without rational reasons. A lot that feels unjust of course happens in the world but opposition to a free market economy does not follow logically from that. Socialism is based on an emotional surge that something needs to be done, but that deed is not rationally argued.In reality, a free market economy is social just as Gary Chartier has pointed out. A free market economy respects human bodily autonomy, private property and freedom of contract, i.e. it is social. Violation of those fundamental rights is antisocial and, therefore, the welfare state is antisocial. A free market economy is therefore just since by means of social behavior, justice in a society can be achieved. A precondition of social justice is that no one is deprived of rights. When everyone's rights to freedom are respected in legislation, income gaps are not unnecessarily imposed by politics and, therefore, the need for income transfers is reduced. The welfare state requires a centralization of power to the state, so the state will increase income inequality by preventing economic activity unequally. One of the main reasons to support a welfare state is the misconception that in a free market economy income inequalities would be at least as large as they are now. Anyway, a free market economy would have income transfers such as insurance, mutual aid and charity. Support for the welfare state is often based on a misunderstanding that in a free market economy, there would be no income transfers or that charity would be the only income transfer.
The welfare state is suffering from the same problem as most branches of socialism: it seeks to social by antisocial and authoritarian state means. In socialism, by means of verbal magic they try to create an impression that the socialist state is a prerequisite for social, even though in reality they are incompatible. Socialism and the welfare state spring from a sense of injustice and the illusion that a rational planned economy is to achieve a fairer society. Socialism is based, like the welfare state, on a false belief that a free market economy is antisocial and unfair. It is a misconception because it is wrong to regard past inequities of mixed economies as inevitable characteristics of a free market economy. Socialism is not a rational ideology because it accuses a free market economy of injustices without rational reasons. A lot that feels unjust of course happens in the world but opposition to a free market economy does not follow logically from that. Socialism is based on an emotional surge that something needs to be done, but that deed is not rationally argued.In reality, a free market economy is social just as Gary Chartier has pointed out. A free market economy respects human bodily autonomy, private property and freedom of contract, i.e. it is social. Violation of those fundamental rights is antisocial and, therefore, the welfare state is antisocial. A free market economy is therefore just since by means of social behavior, justice in a society can be achieved. A precondition of social justice is that no one is deprived of rights. When everyone's rights to freedom are respected in legislation, income gaps are not unnecessarily imposed by politics and, therefore, the need for income transfers is reduced. The welfare state requires a centralization of power to the state, so the state will increase income inequality by preventing economic activity unequally. One of the main reasons to support a welfare state is the misconception that in a free market economy income inequalities would be at least as large as they are now. Anyway, a free market economy would have income transfers such as insurance, mutual aid and charity. Support for the welfare state is often based on a misunderstanding that in a free market economy, there would be no income transfers or that charity would be the only income transfer.
maanantai 9. syyskuuta 2013
perjantai 30. elokuuta 2013
Anarcho-capitalism
Anarcho-capitalism is a philosophy and a form of society in
which each individual should be sovereign and have full bodily
self-determination, private property rights, freedom of contract and
other rights derived from them. Anarcho-capitalism favors a fully free
market and is named after capitalism in the sense of a free market.
Anarcho-capitalism is also a branch of anarchism as being opposed to
government. All government is undesirable and should be abolished or
privatized. The government police and state courts should be replaced by
private detectives, guards and private courts. Government armies should
be abolished or replaced by private armies. Anarcho-capitalism is
anti-state extreme libertarianism. Its opposites are totalitarian
communism, totalitarian socialism, state socialism, state communism,
national socialism and fascism. Anarcho-capitalism is a largely populist
philosophy opposed to the political elite dominating the states.
Somalia just after the collapse of the government of Somalia is sometimes perceived to be a modern example of anarcho-capitalism.
Somalia just after the collapse of the government of Somalia is sometimes perceived to be a modern example of anarcho-capitalism.
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