Egalitarianism and its discontents
Channel: ItHadToBeSaid
Date: 2024-03-16

Let’s take a look at libertarian-capitalist ethics and read influential right-libertarian arguments against egalitarianism. Let’s see if they know what they are talking about.

See if you can spot the following logical fallacies: strawman, begging the question, motte and bailey, reductio ad absurdum, selective attention, naturalistic, definist, false equivalence, is-ought

Sources:Egalitarianism as a Revolt against Nature by Murray Rothbard: https://mises-media.s3.amazonaws.com/Egalitarianism%20as%20a%20Revolt%20Against%20Nature%2C%20and%20Other%20Essays_2.pdf

Who cares about inequality? by Yaron Brook and Don Watkins: https://ari.aynrand.org/issues/government-and-business/capitalism/Who-Cares-about-Inequality/

The Virtue of Selfishness by Ayn Rand: https://ia802903.us.archive.org/1/items/AynRandTheVirtueOfSelfishness/Ayn_Rand-The_Virtue_of_Selfishness.pdf 

Working conditions during the 1800s: https://factoryworkingconditions.com/history/working-conditions-during-the-1800s/

Anarchism as a way of life by Zoe Baker: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/zoe-baker-anarchism-as-a-way-of-life 

Videos on this channel that I reference: 

Why I am no longer an “anarcho-capitalist”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_2KZ5TU3t4&list=PL3waFZldV-Y3UIC4tXsJHyIfFMSlgnhb2&pp=gAQBiAQB

You don’t own property: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cimWvkXi-M 

Imaginary capitalism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnhE1C9vrgI 

You have no rights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XRDdFRHtMs 

You don’t have to contribute to society: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tigCAIEOG9o 

How to use money or ownership to legitimize anything: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FotQH8x2uzg 

Wealth creates poverty and poverty creates wealth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnlU7ast69A 

Other links:

A deep dive into what’s wrong with Thomas Sowell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZjSXS2NdS0 

Why abstract “equality” is not a goal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzQZ_NDEzVo 

Egalitarianism in practice around the world: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/communism, https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/charles-j-h-macdonald-the-anthropology-of-anarchy  

I address more right-libertarian/ancap arguments here: https://theruleoffreedom.wordpress.com/2017/02/20/inequality/ 

Mutual Aid: a Factor of Evolution by Peter Kropotkin: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/petr-kropotkin-mutual-aid-a-factor-of-evolution