Practical Politics

From Organic Design wiki
Practical Politics (YouTube) by Stefan Molyneux 
Anarchists should abandon their mad hopes and buckle down to some REAL political action - the argument from practicality...

Politics, Philosophy & Practicality

Political activism

Anarchist philosophy: a definition

  • Ignoring politics
  • Applying the principles of ethics and voluntarism to your own life
  • Rejecting optional relationships with people who support the use of violence
  • Pursuing relationships with truly moral people

Politics vs. Anarchy: the core criticism

  • "Anarchy is completely impractical"
  • "A stateless society will never be achieved in our lifetime"
  • "Political activity is the only way to practically secure personal liberty"
  • "Those who avoid political action are only contributing to the growth of the state"
  • Thus: 'abandoning your post' is bad

In general:

  • Anarchy is considered to be an extension of libertarian practical goals
  • The core political goal is to reduce the power of the state - anarchy aims to eliminate the state

For this criticism to be valid:

  • Political action must be proven to be effective
  • The benefits of political action must be greater than the costs
  • Acting on anarchist principles must be proven to be ineffective
  • The costs of acting on anarchist principles must be greater than the benefits

Where do Politics / Anarchism fit?

Political Action: a case study

  • 20 hours / week = 1,040 hours / year
or: 26 weeks: half of a full-time job
  • not only unpaid, but actually costs money
(donations, subscriptions, books, etc.)
  • equivalent to 33% tax on income
(2 jobs; 0.5 unpaid ÷ 1.5 paid = 1/3 of your time!)
  • This investment is only of value if politics will in fact set you significantly free!

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