Anarchitecture

ana020: The Power of Place-Based Community | Tim’s Freecoast 2018 Speech

2018-11-07

Is community compatible with libertarian individualism? At the Freecoast Festival V in Portsmouth, NH, Tim told the story of how he came to understand the necessity of community in Panama. He discussed: How community should be understood from the perspective of individualism, and in contrast to collectivism. Four Bases of Community: People, Place, Profit, and Philosophy How the Free State Project has unintentionally created an incredibly strong community of libertarians in New Hampshire, and how this community has made liberty possible for each ...

Is community compatible with libertarian individualism?

At the Freecoast Festival V in Portsmouth, NH, Tim told the story of how he came to understand the necessity of community in Panama. He discussed:

How community should be understood from the perspective of individualism, and in contrast to collectivism.
Four Bases of Community: People, Place, Profit, and Philosophy
How the Free State Project has unintentionally created an incredibly strong community of libertarians in New Hampshire, and how this community has made liberty possible for each individual.

This episode includes Tim's full speech and a post-game discussion with Tim and Joe.

Download Slideshow as PDF

Use hashtag #ana020 to reference this episode in a tweet, post, or comment. View full show notes at http://anarchitecturepodcast.com/ana020.

----more---- Intro

Freecoast Festival V - Portsmouth, NH, September 7-9th 2018
Tim has finally figured out how to get a decent live recording. You don't want to know how. It gets weird.

Speech - The Power of Place-Based Community It Takes a Village

...To Flush a Toilet
Family Travel to Panama
SÁBADO (Saturday)
- Couldn't flush the toilet
DOMINGO (Sunday)
- Tim plays plumber and fills the tank
- "If our water stops working again, we'll know which unmarked pipe at the side of the road to get it from!"
- 300 Gallons of water... vanished
LUNES (Monday)
- Señores, (Gentlemen,)
- mi esposa (my wife)
- en el agua (in the water)
- ¡ZAP! (ZAP)
- Sí, electricidad. (Yes, electricity)
- Mucho electricidad. (A lot of electricity)
- En el agua. (In the water.)
MARTES (Tuesday)
- Water spewing out the side of the pump
MIÉRCOLES (Wednesday)
- The pump gives up the ghost
- Plastic bags and bubble gum
JUEVES (Thursday)
- ¿El agua es buena? (Is the water good?)
- ¡Sí, el agua es muy buena! (Yes, the water is very good!)
- Bla bla bla el agua (...the water...)
- Bla bla bla potable (... potable...)
- Bla bla bla la pompa (... the pump...)
- Bla bla bla chlorinada. (... chlorinated...)
...Y CADA DIA DESPUES (... and every day after)
- Water Delivery Truck
  - Unlimited supply of water - in trash cans
- "That tells you everything you need to know about Panama."
CARNAVAL
- Las Tablas - Largest Carnaval celebration in Panama
- This wasn't for us - it was for them
- This was their culture - timeless and resilient

Individualism | Community

FREEDOM = LIBERTY + POWER
- FREEDOM: The ability to act according to your will
- LIBERTY: The ability to act without social consequences
- POWER: The technical means to act
Robinson Crusoe and Jack Spirko
Community empowers individuals
- Knowledge sharing
- Division of labor
- “Safety net” assistance
- Network effects
- Power projection
FREEDOM = Individual LIBERTY + Community POWER
Community is not Collectivism
- Community is a technical means to satisfying individual needs
- Individuals may voluntarily “sacrifice” their individual liberty to participate in a community (in exchange for greater power and freedom)
Collectivism is not community
- Individual needs are subverted to the “common good,” which is neither common nor good
- Participation is mandatory, not voluntary
- Expansion through coercion, not persuasion
- Relationships are antagonistic, not cooperative
Individual liberty optimizes community
- Liberated individuals make community stronger, and strong communities make us better individuals.

The Evolution of Community

Basis of Community (The 4 P's):
- PEOPLE
- PLACE
- PROFIT
- PHILOSOPHY
People-Based Community
- Tribal - Nomadic hunter-gatherers
- Individuals commit to a community of specific people
- Family, friends
Place-Based Community
- Agricultural – Cultivation of private property
- Individuals commit to a community of people in the place where they live
- Neighbors
Profit-Based Community
- Industrial – Urban agglomeration
- Individuals commit to a community of people who offer economic opportunity
- Co-workers, trade partners, business network, socio-economic class, brand loyalty
Philosophy-Based Community
- Digital – Decentralization
- Individuals commit to a community of people who share their ideas and interests
- Deep, meaningful connections with cartoon avatars with fake names
We have rediscovered community, but without the humanity

New Hampshire: Come for the Liberty, Stay for the Community

Freecoast meetup - 20 people plus kids, on a Thursday night
Stories of freecoasters supporting each other.
Community wasn't the original goal of the Free State Project
Individuals came here seeking liberty for themselves, and they chose to come together to form this community.
Evidence that a Libertarian world is a world of voluntary community

Q&A

Were the 5 days with water consecutive?
How can we build multi-generational communities?
Will the slides be online? (Yes - link to the PDF above)

Discussion (0:31:10)

Live on the Freecoast
Liberty Mugs!
- The way you feel about Trump voters is the way I feel about ALL voters
- Smug condescension never tasted better
Freecoast Festival Summary
- The Praxeum - Freecoasters have purchased a function hall
- Speakers
  - Mary Ruwart
  - Radley Balko
  - Naomi Brockwell
  - Professor CJ Kilmer (no relation to Val as far as we know)
- Joe is OG with the DHP
- Podcast tip #1: Actually produce podcast episodes
Portsmouth Harbor Cruise - Whales everywhere
Tim judged "The Porcupine Den"
- "The Canna-bus"
- Naomi Brockwell - the other Australian libertarian
- To win Tim over, rekindle his flame for dance
Tim meets his heroes
- Gardner Goldsmith
- Mary Ruwart - Healing Our World
Are Libertarians Ideologues or Pragmatists?
Even Ayn Rand's heroes formed communities
Having friends doesn't make you a commie
The important distinction between community and collectivism
- The key word is "Voluntary"
Employment - a more structured and demanding form of community
Reviewing the 4 P's
- Strong communities have all 4 P's in effect - they are self-reinforcing
The effect of infrastructure on community
- Reliable infrastructure reduces the need for a strong community
- Government has taken the mantle of community
Examples of Free State Project successes
- Taylor and James Davis - One Free Family- Podcast on Homeschooling/Unschooling
- The Free State Bitcoin Shoppe - The World Famous Bitcoin Tour
- Emily Smith - Bardo Farms and Liberty Markets
- Political support - 45 Free Staters have been elected to office in NH
- Derrick J Freeman - "Derrick J's Victimless Crime Spree"
All of these things are happening because of the community they've built here