voluntaryism

In politics and economics, voluntaryism (or voluntarism) is the idea that human relations should be based on voluntary cooperation and natural law, to the exclusion of any political compulsion. As a political theory, voluntaryism is a form of anarcho-capitalism advocated by Auberon Herbert, stressing "voluntary taxation" and the boycott of electoral politics. The original sources for voluntaryism can be found in Herbert's book "The Right and Wrong of Compulsion by the State."

Relations to anarchism

Some, such as Benjamin Tucker view Herbert's philosophy as anarchism, however he never called himself an anarchist as he considered anarchism to be a philosophy that does not provide for defense of person and property.

Voluntaryism does not oppose profit. Herbert believed interest and rent to be legitimate and, unlike labor-value individualism, he did not hold that land had to be in continual use to retain title. Any voluntary economic agreement between individuals is acceptable.

See also

• voluntarism (philosophy)

External links

• Voluntaryist .com
• The Voluntaryist Newsletter edited by Carl Watner
• Voluntaryism: The Political Thought of Auberon Herbert by Erick Mack

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