About this episode
This week we’re discussing a relatively unknown essay by Auberon Herbert called “The Ethics of Dynamite,” wherein Herbert compares the coercive political force of the state (the majority) to the coercive, terroristic use of force by the dynamiter (the minority), a 19-century reference to violent anarchist sects. Herbert points out that the means of the state and those of the dynamiter really do not differ all that much, and offers his solutions for “unmaking” the coercive nature of each.
Jason Kuznicki is a research fellow at the Cato Institute and editor of Cato Unbound.
Show Notes and Further Reading:
Adam Smith, The Wealth of NationsThomas Hobbes, LeviathanHerbert Spencer, Social StaticsMurray Rothbard, The Anatomy of the StateSpecialization and Trade (video)Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Get every episode summarized
Each time Free Thoughts publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from Free Thoughts
Coming Soon: The Liberty Exchange
Free Thoughts
Fighting Government Secrecy (with Patrick Eddington)
Free Thoughts
When Is Democracy Undemocratic? (with Emily B. Finley)
Free Thoughts
Floods, Nuclear Power, and Wages (with Peter Van Doren)
Free Thoughts