In mid-August of 480 B.C., the Greek allies defending the pass of Thermopylae were treated to a strange sight when four thousand Peloponnesian warriors marched into their camp. The most impressive of these troops were three hundred old men with shaved lips, red cloaks, and shields emblazoned with “Λ,” signifying their home country of Lacedaemon. Along with these soldiers marched seven hundred of the men called helots, natives of the country of Messenia subjugated by the Lacedaemonians, equipped as light infantry. During the battle that followed, the Spartans and their Helots cooperated to a degree unprecedented in Greek history: the […]

Though neoreaction is typified by a suspicion of democratic government and ideology and has produced numerous, powerful theoretical arguments against democracy, it must be conceded that the empirical case is not nearly so strong. Democracies have certainly made mistakes, pursued foolish policies, and committed atrocities, but the historical record does not show unequivocally that democracy is much worse as a form of government than other arrangements. The major problem with the empirical case against democracy is the lack of data. The first democracies arose in Greece, but we have good historical records for Athens alone, with partial information about Sparta, […]

The wars of the ancient Israelites follow a distinct pattern, especially when the Israelites lose. After a defeat, there are inevitably claims that God had withheld His favor on account of impiety among His people; the solution, obviously, being to redouble their religious devotions. With their faith reinvigorated, the Israelites then march out again and overcome their adversaries. To one skeptical of religion, this looks suspiciously like either superstition or propaganda. The hand of God did not actually give victory to the Israelites, but saying that it did certainly bolsters the case for believing in Him. Indeed, a god who […]

Alrenous has graciously penned a rebuttal to my piece on anarcho-capitalism. Most of our differences of opinion arise from a misunderstanding of my original argument, for which I, as the original author, am of course responsible, so I hope here to clarify matters that I did not adequately express before. Some disagreements, however, are more substantive, going to the very heart of anarcho-capitalism; Alrenous’s understanding of anarcho-capitalism is quite unique and deserves special attention. First, let me address the misunderstanding. In my piece, I presented three potential Ancapistans: the United States of Ancapistan, the Free Town of Ancapistan, and a […]

Two weeks ago, I discussed state-society, the libertarian minarchists’ vision of a perfect society. What I did not discuss was libertarian anarchism or anarcho-capitalism and for obvious reasons: anarchism demands the abolishing, not the taming, of the state. Today I will address that oversight by analyzing Ancapistan, the goal of anarcho-capitalism, not strictly to criticize it, but to draw out nuances of anarcho-capitalist theory. My argument, put simply, is that anarcho-capitalists should become neoreactionaries. One advantage state-society has over Ancapistan is that it is much easier for us living today to conceptualize. State apparatus’ are so broad, so firmly entrenched, […]

Leftism is simultaneously associated with the Cathedral, the apparatus of elite control of public opinion, and with democracy, which is supposed to involve non-elites having a substantial say in major decisions. It can be quite a lot of fun to watch how quickly leftists start condemning ballot initiatives or popular legislative proposals, genuine expression of the popular will, when these moves threaten leftist causes. This looks, walks, and quacks like hypocrisy—leftists viewing democracy more as a means than an end in itself. There is, in fact, no hypocrisy involved. The Cathedral is democracy, and populism really is anti-democratic. Democracy has […]

Libertarians lay claim to being morally superior to, well, everyone else on account of their refusal to legislate morality. They do not demand that other people adopt their values or change their way of life, the libertarians say; they merely insist that everyone abide by libertarian norms. Within a libertarian framework all manner of freedom and diversity is acceptable. Okay, you can stop chuckling. Such hypocrisy is at least a little bit refreshing. Would that all our enemies were so awful at disguising their aims. Libertarians want everyone to be just like them, allowing differences of opinion and behavior only […]

Plato gets the credit for inventing the concept of “noble lie,” a false tale circulated to make a society more civic-minded and justify social stratifications (Republic III 414c-415c). Of all Plato’s ideas, this one may be the one received most unfavorably. No one likes being told that they must be deceived into being good, and egalitarian impulses, especially in the present age, revolt against the idea of sanctifying social classes. As is so often the case, Plato is misunderstood. He was not truly inventing anything but rather critiquing pre-existing Greek religious ideas. Plato presents the “noble lie” in three sections. […]

Amor omnia vincit: Love conquers all. That seems to be the slogan these days. Or, it would be if people still studied Latin. The Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges has spawned riots of color all across the country. People are raising rainbow flags here, there, and everywhere. At the same time, the Confederate battle flag is being lowered and removed from all corners of respectable society. This now famous graphic illustrates the noble triumph of Love over Hate. Wait a minute. “Triumph of Love over Hate”? Aren’t love and hate emotions that everyone feels at one point or […]

At the outset of this review of Mad Max: Fury Road, let me say that it’s an excellent movie. If for some reason you are haven’t seen it, stop reading this instant and go watch it. Not only will you have a thoroughly enjoyable viewing experience, you’ll avoid all the spoilers that follow here. I’ll wait. Now you’ve seen the movie. Aside from exulting in the experience, you’re probably wondering: just what was supposed to be feminist about that film? I can’t answer that question, but I do know that it poses very serious problems for those of us of the […]