Who Is John Galt? November 29, 2005
Posted by Resident Egoist in : Humor, Misc, Philosophy and Objectivism , add a commentIf you answered Sam Walton, get to the front of the class kiddo.
Mystery solved by The Hartford Courant.
Technorati Tags: Ayn Rand, John Galt, Sam Walton, Objectivism, Atlas Shrugged
Power, Freedom and Totalitarianism November 27, 2005
Posted by Resident Egoist in : Law and Government , add a commentRoderick Long has a very interesting article at the Mises Institute — it’s part of a series of talks on “The Economics of Fascism“. I call it interesting because it explicitly outlines the different power structures of the most prevalent types of societies of our time, namely: fascism, communism, and liberalism of the classical tradition.
Here’s an excerpt — which contrasts fascism and communism:
[W]here Communism seeks to substitute the state for private ownership, fascism seeks to incorporate or co-opt private ownership into the state apparatus through public-private partnership.
[...]
When faced with existing institutions that threaten the power of the state?be they corporations, churches, the family, tradition?the Communist impulse is by and large to abolish them, while the fascist impulse is by and large to absorb them.
Power structures external to the state are potential rivals to the state’s own power, and so states always have some reason to seek their abolition*; Communism gives that tendency full rein. But power structures external to the state are also potential allies of the state, particularly if they serve to encourage habits of subordination and regimentation in the populace, and so the potential always exists for a mutually beneficial partnership; herein lies the fascist strategy.
*I don’t think there exists an inherent rivalry between a government and other social institutions in a free society, but the above statement is essentially true — and with a lot of history to substantiate it. The commies are known to suppress and abolish virtually every social institution and establish the Omnipotent State as substitute [they usually keep the schools and universities, though]. The fascists too are people who wish to consolidate power in the hands of the state, but absorption and integration is their method of choice.
So, in a communist society, you will find no such thing as priests, businessmen or a solid family institution — only commissars and party bosses. You will however find priests, families, traditions and businessmen in a fascist society — and this is why it is often confused with capitalism — despite the fact that all these institutions are mere branches of the state apparatus.
So what is the true nature of the power structure in a capitalist society? It’s decentralization, or separation. Here, not only is there a separation of powers within the institution of government itself [e.g.: 3 branches of government], there is also strict separation between the state and other social institutions [e.g.: Separation of Church and State and Separation of State and Economics].
It is this setup that helps keep the government in a capitalist society a minimal one. Now you can see why the so-called “conservatives’” talk about bringing back small government is … well … exactly that: talk, i.e., mere lip service — as what they wish to do is turn family, education, economy and church (among other things) into branches of government, hence eventually encompassing all aspects of society.
Other possible items of interest:
- “Why Nazism was Socialism and Why Socialism is Totalitarian“, by George Reisman
- The Economics of Fascism — Mises Institute Media Archive.
Technorati Tags: Nazism, Communism, Socialism, Ludwig von Mises, Freedom, Power