Is community compatible with libertarian individualism?

At the Freecoast Festival V in Portsmouth, NH, Tim told the story of how he came to understand the necessity of community in Panama. He discussed:

  • How community should be understood from the perspective of individualism, and in contrast to collectivism.
  • Four Bases of Community: People, Place, Profit, and Philosophy
  • How the Free State Project has unintentionally created an incredibly strong community of libertarians in New Hampshire, and how this community has made liberty possible for each individual.

This episode includes Tim’s full speech and a post-game discussion with Tim and Joe.

Download Slideshow as PDF

Use hashtag #ana020 to reference this episode in a tweet, post, or comment. View full show notes at https://anarchitecturepodcast.com/ana020.

Intro

  • Freecoast Festival V – Portsmouth, NH, September 7-9th 2018
  •  Tim has finally figured out how to get a decent live recording. You don’t want to know how. It gets weird.

Speech – The Power of Place-Based Community

It Takes a Village
  • …To Flush a Toilet
  • Family Travel to Panama
  • SÁBADO (Saturday)
    • Couldn’t flush the toilet
  • DOMINGO (Sunday)
    • Tim plays plumber and fills the tank
    • “If our water stops working again, we’ll know which unmarked pipe at the side of the road to get it from!”
    • 300 Gallons of water… vanished
  • LUNES (Monday)
    • Señores,   (Gentlemen,)
    • mi esposa  (my wife)
    • en el agua  (in the water)
    • ¡ZAP!  (ZAP)
    • Sí, electricidad.   (Yes, electricity)
    • Mucho electricidad.  (A lot of electricity)
    • En el agua.   (In the water.)
  • MARTES (Tuesday)
    • Water spewing out the side of the pump
  • MIÉRCOLES (Wednesday)
    • The pump gives up the ghost
    • Plastic bags and bubble gum
  • JUEVES (Thursday)
    • ¿El agua es buena? (Is the water good?)
    • ¡Sí, el agua es muy buena! (Yes, the water is very good!)
    • Bla bla bla el agua (…the water…)
    • Bla bla bla potable (… potable…)
    • Bla bla bla la pompa (… the pump…)
    • Bla bla bla chlorinada. (… chlorinated…)
  • …Y CADA DIA DESPUES (… and every day after)
    • Water Delivery Truck
      • Unlimited supply of water – in trash cans
    • “That tells you everything you need to know about Panama.”
  • CARNAVAL
    • Las Tablas – Largest Carnaval celebration in Panama
    • This wasn’t for us – it was for them
    • This was their culture – timeless and resilient
Individualism | Community
  • FREEDOM = LIBERTY + POWER
    • FREEDOM: The ability to act according to your will
    • LIBERTY: The ability to act without social consequences
    • POWER: The technical means to act
  • Robinson Crusoe and Jack Spirko
  • Community empowers individuals
    • Knowledge sharing
    • Division of labor
    • “Safety net” assistance
    • Network effects
    • Power projection
  • FREEDOM = Individual LIBERTY + Community POWER
  • Community is not Collectivism
    • Community is a technical means to satisfying individual needs
    • Individuals may voluntarily “sacrifice” their individual liberty to participate in a community (in exchange for greater power and freedom)
  • Collectivism is not community
    • Individual needs are subverted to the “common good,” which is neither common nor good
    • Participation is mandatory, not voluntary
    • Expansion through coercion, not persuasion
    • Relationships are antagonistic, not cooperative
  • Individual liberty optimizes community
    • Liberated individuals make community stronger, and strong communities make us better individuals.
The Evolution of Community
  • Basis of Community (The 4 P’s):
    • PEOPLE
    • PLACE
    • PROFIT
    • PHILOSOPHY
  • People-Based Community
    • Tribal – Nomadic hunter-gatherers
    • Individuals commit to a community of specific people
    • Family, friends
  • Place-Based Community
    • Agricultural – Cultivation of private property
    • Individuals commit to a community of people in the place where they live
    • Neighbors
  • Profit-Based Community
    • Industrial – Urban agglomeration
    • Individuals commit to a community of people who offer economic opportunity
    • Co-workers, trade partners, business network, socio-economic class, brand loyalty
  • Philosophy-Based Community
    • Digital – Decentralization
    • Individuals commit to a community of people who share their ideas and interests
    • Deep, meaningful connections with cartoon avatars with fake names
  • We have rediscovered community, but without the humanity
New Hampshire: Come for the Liberty, Stay for the Community
  • Freecoast meetup – 20 people plus kids, on a Thursday night
  • Stories of freecoasters supporting each other.
  • Community wasn’t the original goal of the Free State Project
  • Individuals came here seeking liberty for themselves, and they chose to come together to form this community.
  • Evidence that a Libertarian world is a world of voluntary community
Q&A
  • Were the 5 days with water consecutive?
  • How can we build multi-generational communities?
  • Will the slides be online? (Yes – link to the PDF above)

Discussion (0:31:10)

  • Live on the Freecoast
  • Liberty Mugs!
    • The way you feel about Trump voters is the way I feel about ALL voters
    • Smug condescension never tasted better
  • Freecoast Festival Summary
    • The Praxeum – Freecoasters have purchased a function hall
    • Speakers
      • Mary Ruwart
      • Radley Balko
      • Naomi Brockwell
      • Professor CJ Kilmer (no relation to Val as far as we know)
    • Joe is OG with the DHP
    • Podcast tip #1: Actually produce podcast episodes
  • Portsmouth Harbor Cruise – Whales everywhere
  • Tim judged “The Porcupine Den”
    • “The Canna-bus”
    • Naomi Brockwell – the other Australian libertarian
    • To win Tim over, rekindle his flame for dance
  • Tim meets his heroes
    • Gardner Goldsmith
    • Mary Ruwart – Healing Our World
  • Are Libertarians Ideologues or Pragmatists?
  • Even Ayn Rand’s heroes formed communities
  • Having friends doesn’t make you a commie
  • The important distinction between community and collectivism
    • The key word is “Voluntary”
  • Employment – a more structured and demanding form of community
  • Reviewing the 4 P’s
    • Strong communities have all 4 P’s in effect – they are self-reinforcing
  • The effect of infrastructure on community
    • Reliable infrastructure reduces the need for a strong community
    • Government has taken the mantle of community
  • Examples of Free State Project successes
    • Taylor and James Davis – One Free Family- Podcast on Homeschooling/Unschooling
    • The Free State Bitcoin Shoppe – The World Famous Bitcoin Tour
    • Emily Smith – Bardo Farms and Liberty Markets
    • Political support – 45 Free Staters have been elected to office in NH
    • Derrick J Freeman – “Derrick J’s Victimless Crime Spree”
  • All of these things are happening because of the community they’ve built here

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