Tag Archives: Ayn Rand

Humans are still evolving

by Aschwin de Wolf Posted on November 28, 2011

A defining characteristic of ideologies is an implicit or explicit theory of human nature. For example, modern libertarians like Ayn Rand and Murray Rothbard derived bold normative conclusions from the fact that humans are endowed with reason. In such attempts, … Continue reading →

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The atheist conservatism of Gustave Le Bon

by Aschwin de Wolf Posted on July 15, 2011

As more scholars start recognizing the emerging “Secular Right” (or atheist conservatism) there will be increased research into the historical precedents of this phenomenon. There can be little doubt that these scholars will take a renewed interest in Gustave Le … Continue reading →

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Jim Crawford against natural rights

by Aschwin de Wolf Posted on August 4, 2010

Jim Crawford’s autobiographical antinatalist manifesto Confessions of an Antinatalist(review here) contains an illuminating perspective on the idea of natural rights: Concurrent with our wish to understand the human condition through over-simplification is our tendency to ground human desire and behavior … Continue reading →

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Anything that’s peaceful

by Aschwin de Wolf Posted on May 28, 2010

Libertarians spend a non-trivial amount of time arguing for the obvious. At best, such arguments are redundant because there is no widespread believe that violence or threats of violence are a good thing. At worst, these debates hurt the prospects … Continue reading →

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