This is excerpted from The Myth of the Social Contract by Andrew Kern As has been discussed in prior chapters, it is unclear where or when citizens supposedly entered into the social contract. But let us suppose they did. Let us assume citizens have agreed to obey the state’s edicts in exchange for protection. No
It is generally regarded that justice and security must be produced by the government with funds collected via taxation. During the gold rush in the early years of San Francisco, the inverse was actually more accurate. Not only did the government fail to provide an adequate level of safety, but public officials were commonly involved
This is excerpted from The Myth of the Social Contract by Andrew Kern One of the ways states are said to gain the rightful authority to rule is through implied consent. There are no explicit contracts signed with the government which grant it all of the power it exercises. Thus, it is claimed that in
Some time ago, Attorney General Jeff Sessions seemed to communicate the view that all laws should be enforced because it is moral, as well as biblical to do so. Sessions is wrong. The laws of the state have historically been used to oppress and terrorize peoples. We should not respect and enforce a law based merely on the
This is excerpted from The Myth of the Social Contract by Andrew Kern If you’ve ever questioned why the state has the authority to do something or even wondered aloud whether the status quo is the best that it could be, it’s likely someone has told you some variant of “If you don’t like
This is excerpted from The Myth of the Social Contract by Andrew Kern If you’ve ever discussed politics at a level more in-depth than red vs blue, someone has probably brought up Social Contract Theory. This topic is filled with more convoluted and fuzzy thinking than nearly anything else. In this series, I intend to help
In a market setting, racists who arbitrarily discriminate are forced to pay for that decision. If an employer refuses to hire anyone of a particular race or sex, they are limiting their potential pool of labor. With self-imposed diminished options to choose from, the most productive employees may be excluded, and the firm overall will
The federal government setting the rules for the entire border is the worst possible route for people who care about respecting the wishes of individuals.
