Topic: Voluntarism

Organized crime theory suggests that government was never intended to protect life or liberty but exists to facilitate theft by a ruling class. The concept of a social contract is challenged on the basis that individuals cannot be bound by a Constitution they did not personally sign. It is argued that a group cannot collectively exercise a right, such as taxation, that no individual member possesses naturally.

Voluntarism is presented as a political philosophy where governance exists without a state monopoly on violence. In this system, armed protective services like ADT or Garda would compete in a free market, allowing customers to fire providers for poor service or rights violations. Unlike state police, private security would have no legal authority to arrest individuals for non-crimes like gambling or drug use.

Gober summarizes his political books, arguing that the state is a "political monopoly" that violates natural law and the non-aggression principle. He critiques "The Great Reset" as a leftist initiative that weaponizes compassion to enact control. He advocates for voluntarism, noting the logical contradiction in trusting a subset of "untrustworthy" people to run a government.

A philosophical debate ensues regarding the "lesser of two evils" voting strategy and the idiom "perfect is the enemy of good." The speakers discuss the trap of accepting "table scraps" from the state instead of striving for a truly voluntary society. This segment explores the difficulty of maintaining principled libertarian or anarchist views while living within a statist framework.

In his closing monologue, Greg Carlwood reflects on his shift from idealistic utopianism to a more pragmatic "chessboard" approach. He discusses focusing on tangible local wins—such as legal cannabis, organic food, and lower state taxes—rather than waiting for a perfect voluntary society. Carlwood argues that while he shares Ryan Christian's libertarian ideals, he is willing to accept "table scraps" of progress within the existing system.

Greg Carlwood reflects on the interview, admitting his initial difficulty with the guest's pen name and discussing the unique visual nature of the book. He expresses a mix of admiration for the New Hampshire strategy and skepticism toward overarching political solutions. While he appreciates the practical approach of the Free State Project, he remains weary of the challenges in convincing a largely indifferent public.

Adam Kokesh defines himself as an anarcho-capitalist, reframing the "means of production" as the individual human being. He argues that the ultimate measure of productivity is human happiness and that any relationship involving coercion is an affront to natural order. Under this philosophy, often called voluntarism, all human interactions must be free of force, and the existence of government is viewed as a violation of self-ownership.

Adam Kokesh addresses the "freeloader" problem in a stateless society, using a library as an example. He explains that in a voluntarist system, communities can choose to allow open access or create private, member-only facilities. He argues that the current government system actually encourages a sense of entitlement and freeloading more than a voluntary one would. He maintains that throughout history, less institutionalized violence has consistently correlated with higher human happiness.