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Philosophy Political Site News

Facile Arguments Against Secession

And, right on schedule, barely a week after I say something nice about James Lindsay regarding his evaluation of Marxist offshoots as cults and his studies into Gnosticism and its modern incarnations, he decides to spout off ignorantly about secession, parroting the most absurdly weak arguments all the while maintaining a childishly mocking tone against any and all opposing voices.

So, I’m finally cracking open my copy of Ryan McMaken’s Breaking Away, and getting to work on something about secession, because apparently even reasonably intelligent people are unable to understand how the principles of secession and radical decentralization are the most promising hope we have for peace and diminution of the state’s powers.

Expect a few essays/videos soon, including a review of Breaking Away.

…This comes right as I had had a great idea for something on the absurdity of taxing unrealized economic gains that looks like it might get put on the back burner, at least for a bit. Oh, well.

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Philosophy Video Link

Beware Reductionism!

Reductionism is an incredibly useful tool. You can get rid of meaningless or poorly-supported fluff and tighten up your argument or a system you’re thinking about.

Problem is, it can be overused or used for the wrong reasons, and if you do that, you can make quite a mess for yourself.

Here’s a short video about the dangers of misusing reductionism, with a bunch of definitions and examples!

Also available on Bitchute.

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Economics Political

Rest In Peace, Yuri

I just heard that the great Yuri Maltsev has passed away this week–a huge loss for the world of liberty. Yuri was among the last to defect from the ailing Soviet Union, and the stories he told about doing research under the Iron Curtain are poignant reminders of the strangling effect that socialism and all forms of totalitarianism have on not just the economy, but free thought itself.

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Book Review Essay Political Video Link

Book Review: “The White Pill,” by Michael Malice

The White Pill isn’t what I expected, and that’s a good thing. Considering the pithiness with which terms like “white pill” and “black pill” get tossed around, Michael Malice could have gotten away with writing a witty but surface-level book about the importance of keeping a positive mindset. Instead, he has created the most insidious Tootsie Roll Pop ever–jet black on the outside, with a tiny chunk of white at the very center. The White Pill isn’t an anodyne book on optimism, but a deeply disturbing and detailed account of the rise and fall of the USSR and the Berlin Wall, with a few relevant side stories to keep things fresh.