Practical Politics

Practical Politics (YouTube) by Stefan Molyneux 

Anarchists should abandon their mad hopes and buckle down to some REAL political action - the argument from practicality...

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!