The Mindcrime Liberty Show with Dobson and Patton

Ep 114: Why don’t central banks print even more money???

The Mindcrime Liberty Show discusses, why don’t government central banks print more money? Printing money is extremely useful for the state because it is seemingly “unseen” tax. This “tax”, paid for by inflation and Cantillon effects, also has the effect of weakening those who don’t get the money as quickly and those who are on fixed incomes. What is the limit of state banks from going hyper MMT considering how it allows them to live effectively "rent free"? Does the fear of a radical alteration in your exchange rate between other central banks keep them honest? How much coordination between central banks is there? Does the fear of upsetting the golden goose regulate the state? How real is this fear and what would be its limits?

 

Ep. 113: Are the British Royal family any different than the Kardashians?

The Mindcrime Liberty Show discusses the British Royal Family by asking, are they any different than the Kardashians? Are the royals merely attention seeking celebrities with a brand that sells branded merch to adoring fans? Did Queen Elizabeth become a kind of “girl boss” celebrity or is she the last standing member of the ancien regime? Are parliamentary politicians merely celebrities too? If this “celebrityfication” did happen, when did it happen and is this a good development? Does the monarchy still have virtues? What is the role of the royal family in Britain and the wider English world going forward?

Ep 112: What is the purpose of fathers?

The Mindcrime liberty show discusses, what is the purpose of fathers? Are fathers merely sperm donors? Are fathers merely breadwinning money cows to be milked by children and wives? Are fathers a cultural killer app, to use the Niall Ferguson term? Do societies with involved fathers do better than those which don’t? Is there a tension between the idea of an involved father and a successful one? Being successful at anything seems to require a significant number of hours. As Musk jokes, nothing worthwhile was ever accomplished on 40 hours a week, let alone “part-time.” Most fathers in the nuclear family model in the industrial world work outside the home and so are functionally away from their families for much of the time. In the past the number of hours worked was even higher. Even though in death bed confessions people say they want to work less, their revealed preference and necessity seem to dictate otherwise. Why is that and can this tension be resolved? Finally, should the clergy or priestly class be single without any entangling ties of the family?

Ep 111: What causes the decline of civilization? W/Rik Storey.

The Mindcrime Liberty Show discusses, what causes the decline of the civilisations? Does improved material standard of living lead to selfishness? Do late stage civilisations value artistic endeavours above ancient military heroes? Do the populations then neglect public institutions which are needed to maintain social order? Does the increased political participation of women, historically and presently, aid the decline? Does specialisation lead to the feminisation of men? How can we arrest the decline?

Ep 110:Are nuclear weapons a win for liberty and decentralization?

The Mindcrime Liberty Show discusses whether nuclear weapons are a win for liberty and decentralization. Since nuclear weapons exist and one can’t put the genie back in the bottle, what should libertarians, anarchists and the Right think about them? Are they an a priori offensive weapon? Are nuclear weapons a way for small states (or a hypothetical libertarian society) to project force against large states to prevent aggression? Should Libya, and for that matter Ukraine, kept its nuclear weapons? Are North Korea and Israel pursuing a rational strategy?  Do Nukes protect Russia from regime change? Do nukes put skin in the game for elites of a given society to seek diplomacy instead of escalation? Is mutually assured nuclear annihilation an improvement over the previous eras’ weapons systems? Do nuclear weapons explain the so-called long peace, if indeed there is a long peace, better than other theories such as the monstrosity known as the Kantian democratic peace theory?

Ep. 109: Is voting a waste of time?

The Mindcrime Liberty Show discusses whether voting is a waste of one’s scarce time? Is voting cooperating with evil? Is voting for the lesser of two evils or a third party a useful strategy? Is Walter Block right? What are the dangers of third parties? 
Aren’t things like the “socialist” or “libertarian” party merely a theoretical contradiction? If they do win, what will the existing bureaucracy, military industrial complex and deep state “allow” them to do? If John F. Kennedy allegedly told De Gaul that he didn’t know who was in charge of this government back then, what would a Jill Stein, Ron Paul or Jo Jorgensen be “allowed” to do? Are “outsider” or “disrupter” politicians, both left and right, useful? Is voting for Thomas Massie or Ron Paul a good thing to do? If the deep state and bureaucracy is really in charge the accusation of formally cooperating with evil becomes less salient considering that no elected official actually decides anything so voting for the official is no cooperation at all. 
Are the formal voting mechanisms of the so-called liberal democracies like the US, Canada, France and UK much different than say Chinese, Russian or North Korean elections which the former like to accuse the latter of being compromised? Can a case still be made to head out to the polls especially if the opportunity cost is quite low? What are the benefits and costs of dropping out? Is the discrediting by low turnout a useful strategy? Are there dangers in identifying with politicians and political parties?

Ep 107: How do people come to believe what they believe?

The Mindcrime Liberty Show is joined by Terminal Philosophy to discuss belief formation. Why and how do people come to believe what they believe? Is it reason, genetics, social environment or simply opportunistic pragmatism? Or more malevolently is it propaganda and indoctrination combined with cowardice and weakness of will that are the real causes of beliefs in most people? Does ignorance, living in a bubble and lack of self reflection play a role? Is there any difference between so called elites and everyday people? Who has a more robust usage of reason and a greater degree of self-reflection? Are many of today's western media and political elites mostly blind ignoramuses? Do most people generally only reflect on means, rather than ends?

Ep 106: Is Collapse and Decline Inevitable?

The Mindcrime Liberty Show discusses decline and collapse.  Why are so many dissident and fringe thinkers, as well as many mainstream ones, often believers in some form of coming collapse? For both the Left and Right this could be economic, cultural and/or an environmental collapse. Do the thinkers really believe in the decline (i.e. performative contradiction) and is it happening? What does it mean for a civilization to be in decline for 100s of years or in some cases thousands of years? Is this just a form of crying wolf (or rather collapse)? What institutions or metrics are weaker now than they were years ago?

Ep 105: Does Humility Exist?

The Mindcrime Liberty Show discusses humility and whether it exists. Bishop Barron as well as many other Christians and ethicists praise humility. If it does exist what is it and is it a virtue? Can someone actually be humble in a non-contradictory manner without it becoming humble bragging? What is humility in the context of knowledge? Is extreme skepticism the most or least “humble” position? Are state appointed experts acting with “humility” when they prescribe certain policies or actions to be done? Are the people who question them more humble?

 

Ep. 104: Is War Popular? W/Keith Preston.

The Mindcrime Liberty Show is joined by Keith Preston to discuss whether war is popular. War seems to be popular amongst a variety of classes, sectors and worldviews throughout time and places, especially in modernity or bourgeois society. Whether war was more or less common before the 1800s is a good question but seemingly most of the populace, including the soldiers themselves, go along with most wars.

The armies of modernity especially in the major conflicts are quite large and are equipped at great expense. There are structural ways one could argue oneself out of this seeming popularity but most wars are supported for a time. Although there are drafts and propaganda many soldiers willingly sign up and public support generally remains. Furthermore, plenty of frontline soldiers enjoy the fighting, the danger and camaraderie. Of course there is the PTSD story which needn’t be forgotten but this is arguably not the main takeaway. It couldn’t be considering the size of the armies in conflicts such as the Napoleonic Wars, WWI and 2.

Is modern bourgeois society too peaceful and boring? One could of course try to say it isn't that peaceful but the critique of alienation or boredom is a common criticism of modernity. Do people have a psychological need for conflict against an enemy? Is the media to blame? Why does the “mainstream” media seem to support many wars? Why is there so much popular demand for stories about wars both fictional and real? Is perpetual peace possible or even desirable? What would make wars, in particular state wars, less popular?