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In the EXACT OPPOSITE of the tradition of the “I Read . . . So You Don’t Have To” series of podcasts, today James presents a read-through / exploration of a book you actually really SHOULD read: The Most Dangerous Superstition by Larken Rose! Strap in and get ready for a data dump. And then get ready to read the book yourself!
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SHOW NOTES:
Episode 412 – I Read The Great Narrative (So You Don’t Have To!)
Episode 418 – I Read Bill Gates’ New Book (So You Don’t Have To!)
Episode 439 – I Read Richard Haass’ New Book (So You Don’t Have To!)
Episode 451 – I Read Yuval Noah Harari’s Book (So You Don’t Have To!)
The Most Dangerous Superstition by Larken Rose
Larken and Amanda Rose on The Corbett Report
Jones Plantation film
That book has a few years on it’s shoulders but it’s timeless. Good idea to bring it in an episode!
Great book. I feel like there’s more than a few people here commenting that haven’t read it though. C’est la vie.
Larken’s been a guest…I definitively suggest everyone check Legalman – now a star of The Jones Plantation – and perhaps, James, have an interview. His Quash podcast has been an eye opener, even for old conspiracy realists and anarchists like myself.
Okay… I gotta pipe up for this. The manipulation of language is the oldest PSYOP in the book, often by deception through neologism. On the other hand, when you gotta assign context to a word for the purposes of your book, that’s not great either. It’s already borderline that law requires definitions in statutes. I don’t think I will ever be amazed at how willingly everyone participates in the destruction of language, primarily in the abandonment of the distinction between connotation and denotation. IMHO, lazy speech is for lazy people and lazy people are for getting quick outrage over stupidity. When you gain a firm understanding of the difference between connotation and denotation, you might understand one reason why people are so divided over stupid things. I often give people the three step process. The first step is: define word. A short list of examples are: communism, socialism, capitalism, feminism, government, and anarchy. In response to step one, I’ll get some overly elaborate definition full of half-assery. Then I give them step two: define the pieces and parts of said word. This will usually get the response of “what do you mean?” Many words we use are not single entities onto themselves; they are the results of compounding, contracting, egg corns, portmanteaus, and so on. Once the person is able to understand the parts of the word, I then present them with step 3: wake me up when you realize the two aren’t equal. Sometimes, I will afterwards get the whole “but but so and so defined it like that!” My response is usually something involving an indication how little I care what someone famous said, regardless of how intelligent they are/were. No singular person gets to define language, and many of the words we use are little more than verbal flag waving or some religious symbol. In fact, a bunch of people sitting around eating beans and farting satisfies the denotation of communism because of how vague the idea actually is. Everyone wants to try and compact their idea in as few words as possible, but brevity is only the soul of wit if the idea is accurately conveyed. So, whenever people want to redefine or “fine-tune” definitions as a connotation to their book, I have questions. People are more passive while thinking, but fewer words inspire less thinking. So what is really the objective of such brevity? Is this person ignoring the fact that if people quote, they will do so while disregarding context, or is that something the author is counting on? One cannot not communicate (see Watzlawick, Beavin, and Jackson), and, as I’ve told my students, when listening to what someone has to say, listen to what they say, how they say it, and what they don’t say.
Barnum Statements.
Pushed the PAUSE button at the five-minute-mark to make two quick comments:
(1) Love Larken’s book and think it’s a great idea to feature it at the top of your list of books worth reading (and learning from).
(2) Love how you glided from “my bug bear” to “my cross to bear” when speaking of yourself as a “self-professed, self-confessed voluntaryist. . . .” Very clever.
Now hitting the PLAY button to listen to the rest.
I, for one, think this episode was very valuable.
It prompted me to read/listen to the book (again) AND to get the physical version this time.
Keep up the great work!
This is so necessary and needed. I can’t wait to read this book. Just have it and study it.
Books are incredibly difficult to write. I’ve been asked to so many times since young, simply because I can write creatively and with passion in short format.
The mere thought of writing a book confounds me. I argued , after my recent uni experience which consisted mainly of ..basically, what you did here, even less, only passages from works…that to read the entire book is to learn how to think and configure and link so much together, as the author does in the book.
It’s like watching movies your whole life, and never studying theater and film. You literally have no idea what you are watching. The performance is the icing on a very big cake.
I understood Anarchy first time I heard about it. I understood government the night of Kent State, when I viewed the police lines heading up Mass Ave looking like militarized troops.
Had some fun in Oz some years back. Stayed for a bit in lovely Birsbane with an awesome new friend. One day she invited me to attend an anarchist meeting with her. Sure, great I said.
It was a bit strange, as all “meetings” are, and at one point of lively discussion one person who kinda was acting as if he was “running” the meeting asked me to please raise my hand before speaking. I was at the point where I just instinctually shot back at him “No. I”m an anarchist. ”
When we left my friend began to immediately laugh and tell me she brought me there hoping for just such a scene, as everyone was tired of his attempts to “rule”.
Funny. Thanks for bringing that fun memory forward.
First thing learned in Anthropology 101: Humans naturally competitive?
Nope, Not from the evidence of repeated large civilizations. Cooperation is what builds them.
The only problem I have with his “solutions” list, which is always problematical in any context, frankly, is that this “paying persons to protect you” is so suggestive of the forming of mafiosas that , well, there’s that, you know?
Even Native North American folk tales include tribal members who just gathered gangs and made folks miserable, For a while.
Often it is not outright retaliatory violence that ends the game, but magic. Spiritual magic.
That’s worth thinking about.
I was not really crazy about the “rainbow tribes” as far as many of the shenanigans that went on were concerned, but the reason for them was stellar, and remains so, and their practiced way of dealing with conflict I found quite fascinating, frankly.
Wherever the conflict occurred, people in the immediate area would simply quickly entirely surround the conflicting parties with a mass of persons all around, and deal with the issue from that point on. First, the presence of the people.
Kind of brilliant. What people do on their own when no one’s bossing us around.
In completion of my comment:
I still hold by the basic principles of the Great Law of Peace though, which provides not for rulership, for it is a consensus based way of peace, by consent of every member.
I think, instinctively, that there is a value in placing the final decision on truly impactful…. -to -the- entire -tribe…. matters, in the hearts and experience of the grandmothers.
The reason the Real People felt this way was that they acknowledged that males remained under the influence of sexual urges their entire lives, whereas women did not, and could make clearer decisions.
Early in your discussion here, I thought of John Lennon’s “Imagine”.
One song, many seeds. Blessed Be
The ‘common good’ is commonly only good for the uncommon!
Ha! Good one, steveability.
I purchased the audiobook version a while back after James mentioned it in a previous episode. I didn’t struggle with understanding what the author is articulating. At times I felt like Winston when he said “The Book” organized what he already believed. This book does that for me. It’s so logical that it’s radical.
I’ve ordered a copy of the book. It should help us understand how the Little People think. 😀 Thanks for the reminder James.
“The Book” in 1984 was created to mislead dissidents into ineffectual action …. it no doubt told some truths to sweeten the pot.
Another way to look at “slavery” is that all people are slaves, but possess the freedom to choose what they will enslaved to. Two main choices are: 1) one’s desires and fears 2) one’s conscience and highest principles.
I am reminded of Gene Sharp’s books on his study of how non-violent political change varies in effectiveness by region, by culture, by custom.
I would like to see his work examined here as complimentary with Larken’s.
No mater what the political problem, the solution will be arrived at voluntarily.
“.. No mater what the political problem, the solution will be arrived at voluntarily….”
So the political issue of who was to rule Russia after Ww1 was solved how??? By the Reds killing those who opposed them. Was that voluntary?
The French King and the middle classes had a bit of a row…. Did the king volunteer to have his head cut off to fix the issue?
Did the American Indian volunteer to be run of their land?
Voluntaryism works when all parties playing have enough force of violence to make it work. As I told you in some other post VIOLENCE BEATS LOGIC at solving political issues
All of the above happened because people were slaves to their perceived “masters” and blindly rallied around a flag or a compelling orator.
As Larken writes: “The underlying problem lies in the minds of the people being oppressed, including the minds of most ‘freedom fighters’. As long as the people accept the myth of ‘authority’, even open revolution will do nothing, in the long run, to reduce oppression.”
The first revolutionary act is to free our own minds.
minnie
Hahaha. Thats so funny!
“…All of the above happened because people were slaves to their perceived “masters” and blindly rallied around a flag or a compelling orator. …”
Let me get this right….. the small farmers (Kulaks) in the Ukraine who got STARVED TO DEATH AND SHOT because they did NOT want to be ruled by the Bolsheviks ought to have….what?
hahahaha, yes, they should just refuse to BELIEVE in Bolsheviks!! The Bolsheviks would have vanished, because they die, like Faeries, when people dont believe in them….hahahahaha.
“I dont see you man with gun!” and ‘poof’ he vanishes- thats how it works yes?
You confuse “power” with Authority, which is why you will never be able to resist or have either.
😉
thanks for the laugh BTW
The ones doing the shooting are the slaves to their perceived masters. *face palm
minnie
THATS even funnier….. dont you see?
You are thinking that the guys who rob, rape, then murder you JUST NEED TO BE TALKED OUT OF IT. 🙂
LOL,
But
1) They benefit and
2) Some of them LIKE it
You are imagining a total remaking of human nature….you cant make a wolf into a sheep (or in this case cattle)
You CAN turn a wolf into a sheep dog, but dogs go bad sometimes too, and its teh Farmer, not the livestock, that make the change to his nature.
“…violence beats logic at solving political issues.” (Duck)
How did you arrive at that conclusion, by reasoning it out, logically? My point: Violence is not a means of cognition, it is an action. What produces the act of violence? Fear? What produces fear? It is a physiological response based on perceptions, which may be correct or incorrect. Emotions are not infallible primary knowledge, quite the opposite. They result from conclusions, ideas formed by thinking. Can you follow the logic of my argument? Can you think? If so, what “makes you think” violence preceeds thought? Animals don’t think, i.e., conceptualize, they act, sometimes violently. Do other species “trump” us? Does their violence make them superior?
Voluntaryist
“…..How did you arrive at that conclusion, by reasoning it out, logically?….”
NO, by direct observation, are you like the Logician who expelled a student for suggesting the best way to know how many teeth a horse has is to count them?
“…….Violence is not a means of cognition, it is an action….”
Yes, and action is how things happen in the physical world, not the internal one of your mind.
“…. What produces the act of violence?Fear?…..”
Uhh, not always. SOmetime peopl ejust want your stuff or like to hurt you for fun.
“…Emotions are not infallible primary knowledge,….”
Neither is Logic.
You DO make a good point that Action comes from Thought, but thought requires Action to exist beyond the confines your your skull.
“….Does their violence make them superior?…”
IN what way? Define ‘superior’ in this sense.
A shark swims better then a human. There are more ants then people. Camels can live longer then humans in the desert….yet I see no camels in the ocean nor sharks in the desert.
“Issue of who was to rule Russia.” Who’s issue? The slaves?
The Globalist
“…Who’s issue? The slaves?…”
Indeed, my friend, “the Slaves”….. I am sure that things will never go awry for the Master Class, who possess the Will to power, as long as the ‘little people’ lack a basic understanding of how reality actually works.
At least when ordinary people were a bit scary, the live stock prone to gore the farmer so to speak, the Ruling class was compelled to be competent and provide service to their cattle.
Like Tiberius says in “Caligula” , the Ruling class used to lead men but in their old age have become swineherds.
Yes, I imagine you, dear Globalist, puffing upon a fine cigar and swirling your Brandy as you chuckle….I know I will be in an hour or so, when the time lock of my Safe of Zero Willpower opens.
😉
Though my cigar is not near as expensive as I would like….
This seems like a great book to have an organised discussion on, ie, for a reading group.
Yes… in a bar where we can get drunk and call each other names !
Lol
But failing that you could probably do a Zoom meeting at a set time and have people discuss a chapter or two or the whole book
Let us know in the comments a week or so before you do it and I bet some folks would show up
Larken and Amanda Rose offer a course in teaching/discussing voluntarism. It’s called, “Candles in the Dark”.
Tednetter
seriously
If you set up a zoom chat people and advertise it here enough times I bet people will actually come.
“the belief in ‘authority’ is the arch-enemy of humanity”
So we are to take that on Larken Rose’s authority?
The irony of opening his book by “exposing” the self-contradictory nature of his opponents all the while embracing one himself.
This is nothing more that the same reviling against “superstition” that Adam Weishaupt and his ilk stressed. It’s the ramblings of solopsostic humanists that reject God and insert themselves as the centre of the universe.
This ideology is the BASIS of the secular technocratic NWO we are all been thrust into… way to embrace the ideas of the enemy.
As Thomas Paine said, “my mind is my own church” which looks like this: http://theonerds.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/b98b75663dd84656.jpg
James, with much respect, Cornelius Van Til is a philosopher you should be reading!
Very true…but the Revolutionary Spirit that has destroyed western civilization has been part of the culture for so long people brought up under its spell can’t even see it for what it is anymore.
People will be naked before the state rather then admit their error.
Anarchism and voluntarism are ideas from Western philosophy or rather put into words we can understand. Perhaps smaller indigenous cultures were structured this way. I am not familiar with the precise philosophical origins of these ideas (other than being Western), but they are not what the NWO is using to enslave us.
The NWO is using an authoritarian structure to enslave us. They are using all the governments against the people and changing laws around us.
The US constitution and the founding of our country is probably the closest we came to a structure based in natural law.
He did not say in the book (I’m not done reading it) that there is no objective right and wrong.
I do not believe that natural law comes from a book, but is innate. I do accept that there are likely cultures and people who don’t live accordingly. Some tribal peoples used to engage in human sacrifice and eating human flesh and other horrible things.
I think you are pointing to culture and how that plays a role in voluntarism. That is an important question I think.
Do these principles require a common culture to work? I am inclined to think yes.
I see one principle, one conclusion, in “TMDS”, namely, we are sovereign individuals, innately, but we may choose to reject it and rely on others to do our thinking for us and enforce their will by violence, fraud. Also, we may force our “faith in force” on others.
Is that “culture” or just a common belief? I call it “mass insanity”. I dissent. I value my mind first & foremost.
“,,,I see one principle, one conclusion, in “TMDS”, namely, we are sovereign individuals,….”
That is a wrong assertion. To be TRULY sovereign one would need to have ZERO dependence on any other human.
The LESS dependent you are on others the MORE sovereign you are but it is not in human nature to live totally alone- as Tom Paine (and aristoltle) said the nature of man is to live in groups because thats how we survive.
Thus ‘man is a POLITICAL animal’ who lives in a group and thus have duel identity, as an individual and as a member of the group- no man is ‘sovereign’ under such circumstances, not even an actual king.
By culture I refer to shared values and beliefs. Culture is a deeper concept than that however.
We are a product, in part of our culture. Most of the audience here is probably in the West and draws from philosophy from the West.
Of course an individual is more than a product of their culture IMO but it is part of how they see the world. It’s like a “mother tongue” in language.
Many people don’t recognize this in the West, that they do have a culture from which their ancestors came that is imparted on them.
I think that culture is relevant to the topic. Larkin even mentions this, “norms and customs” in other places.
After wachting this video I really want to read this book, a lot of things you mentioned sparked my interest.
So from my part it was succes and I hope to see more of this.
I appreciate your journalistic integrity, James! But this is clearly a lost cause. It won’t take long for this manmade system as well, in the name of pragmatism, well-intentioned people believing in the “moral authority” of this individual anarchistic, to become a hegemony of infanticide and genocide. We currently have presidents, governors, and kings that are still somewhat bound by the rule of law from doing all kinds of evil, openly at least, though they do some of that, too. Always in the name of the greater good. This is why your journalistic work is so valuable. You expose their motives at times, and the evil lurking behind the scenes. You have every right and responsibility to expose that darkness, but not to poo-poo righteous authority, which is where the devil will deceive you into giving it all to him.
Authority was conveyed to mankind by God, which excuses no one the abuse thereof, but man was seduced into deciding what is right and wrong, pragmatically choosing the side of the serpent, and denying the one for whom they bore a likeness, the true Author. The image is tarnished. It’s an old story, certainly, and we should know by now how subtle deceit can be. Virtuous principles and higher conscience are not consistent with the worldview of total anarchy, which splinters truth into a billion pieces, everyman for himself, love thy neighbor as thou wilt. How long until the remnant of law and order, good principles when applied in truth, according to the true author’s word, is disregarded entirely? And then man will be fully deceived to mutate into whatever he believes. Pointing out the evils all around him, man will justify butchery and witchcraft, not loving God. There is hope in Jesus Christ alone, who is the one that shows us love, who took back authority from the enemy of mankind. He laid down his life, he undid the curse, put Satan underfoot, but don’t talk about that; let the writhing headless snake wrap you up again to think his thoughts through your imagination. You’re basically good! Your intentions won’t misfire. Truth is an approximate thing, per the individual. Enter the machine, follow the beast. Oh yeah, you’re a Beatles fan, so you already do.
https://www.newdawnmagazine.com/articles/secret-history/the-beatles-aleister-crowley-the-mystery-of-paul-is-dead
Also, read Genesis Chapters 1-7. And also, Luke 17 in the New Testament where Jesus references those things, but by no means understand Him.
check your sources
I want to re-iterate. I appreciate what you have done journalistically, but this is a philosophy that is Satanic at its heart. Maybe you don’t really go all in for the occult like The Beatles and Crowley, “Do as thou wilt!” but there’s a smooth road to oblivion. If you can hear, “Warning, Warning, Danger Ahead!.” Blessings to you James,
MR
I don’t think Larken Rose was saying that. If you can quote the page I’d like to see it. I’m not done reading it. But misquoting and misconstruing people’s words and ideas is disingenuous.
Admittedly the last time I tried to read Mr Roses book was a while back but I saw him on Mr Corbett’s show basically expressing “do what thou wilt” …. I mean is that not the result of rejecting authority?
I must agree that is a satanic outlook but most people have grown up in a culture that promotes rebellion and self centered ness to the point that they can’t see it anymore
He did not state that there is no objective right and wrong. At least this is not what I have read thus far. These ideas come from Western philosophy and natural law is even mentioned in the US constitution.
He is questioning the notion of legitimate authority. Does the government have a right to enforce injections on the population? I would say absolutely no.
Even in western medicine, autonomy and informed consent are supposed to be paramount and yet these morals were thrown out the window for the scamdemic.
Larkin is attempting to put forth ideas that have existed for a long time in an easy to understand book, but they do not come from him.
Does the government have the right to punish me if I rape and murder someone???
That’s the question that a number of guys on death row would like you to answer “no” to….. by WHAT AUTHORITY (if not “governmental “) are those men kidnapped by the police and held against their will before being murdered (if they don’t die of old age) by the state?????
Who has the authority to punish a murderer / Rapist? If they are anyone but the victim or their dad then they ARE the govennemt
You first, Does the government have a right to come into your home and give you a jab?
No because that exceeds their authority.
Their authority is rooted and grows from specific things I can talk about later if you like.
your turn 🙂
And that authority’s limits are set by its source
If a person rapes and murders confinement and/or punishment by death are legitimate uses of force.
The authority is legitimate only if the party is guilty of the crime however.
I would say that sometimes the death penalty was just in our very flawed courts and sometimes not.
You mention authority being rooted in things, what do you mean?
What I mean by authority is not an arbitrary delegating of roles to someone else but rather authority being rooted in morality, norms and customs of the culture.
I do think there is a difference between cultural norms and government which the author notes.
Central planning and large governments lend themselves to corruption. It becomes an economy. It is inefficient and wasteful of time and resources.
Why can’t we fix our own potholes? I bet if someone tried they’d get a fine. Some of this stuff is absurd.
Getting permits to fix ones own house that will have no effect on anyone else? That is what government is now a big bureaucracy that does very little for people and is now actively hostile to us.
It is worse than being run by the mafia.
Cu.h.j
“… and/or punishment by death are legitimate uses of force. …”
OK, but WHAT MAKES THEM LEGITIMATE?
THAT is the heart of the question.
“…..What I mean by authority is not an arbitrary delegating of roles to someone else but rather authority being rooted in morality, norms and customs of the culture….”
SO….Slavery was rooted in the Culture of the ante-Bellum South, and still is rooted in many African cultures today.
Is a father right to inflict female circumcision upon his daughter if his culture tells him to??
Personally, I think you need to dig a bit deeper on the matter.
As to the root of authority (rather then JUST FORCE which is not always legitimate)
True Authority is derived from a higher power- a cop cant legitimately arrest you (even though he has the FORCE) without the AUTHORITY of law.
Ultimately, if you want a materialist concept ‘power’ becomes ‘authority’ when it is exercised with RESPONSIBILITY for those it acts upon.
A Non materialist POV is that Authority derives from God, and is delegated so that those with it may act in the interests of those that the Power is used upon. This limits the scope of Authority, and the scope of LEGITIMATE use of power.
Or you can go read the Draka series by SM Stirling….then you can see what a world where Authority derives ONLY from Power.
I just wrote myself an essay on the subject to clear my thinking up. Such a worldview has been quite common in the past but the masses have lost touch with understanding it because the point of modern democracy is to hide who actually has power.
Hey Duck,
I’ll check out your suggestions because I like reading alternative points of view that are different from my own. I think it is important to broaden ones world view.
There were many people in the US who thought slavery was wrong because it is wrong. It is IMO a “sin” to enslave another person. So slavery was not universally accepted in the US.
Slavery is evil. It is dehumanizing. Many people saw that it was. People are not things to be used.
I did mention morality however and perhaps that can contradict with norms and customs. To me, ethical treatment of others is tied to honor and my family on both sides taught me the importance of honor being tied to ones “soul”.
I do think authority comes from a “higher” place, higher consciousness is the term I use.
And people can have the authority to be “free” to engage in the world ethically with others, not to cheat and steal or harm without a the corrupt institution of what we now call government.
How to get out from this mess to me is the question. Small intentional communities an build from there perhaps.
So I think we are not “free to do what though wilt” without the constraints of morality being tied to our actions.
That is the point I was trying to get across about morality that is not relative.
I don’t need to be policed by others to engage ethically with others because I value honor and morality more than material wealth.
It is why I went into health care instead of another field because I believed it was an ethical way earn a living before I knew how corrupt and flawed mainstream medicine is.
At any rate, thanks for sharing your perspective.
“If they are anyone but the victim or their dad then they ARE the government”
This is wrong. This is exactly the error in thinking that Larken is pointing out. Everyone has the right to impose justice on someone who engages in rights violations. That does not make them “the government”. “The government” in this sense is a group that claims the right to make up arbitrary rules and enforce them by violence. Natural rights, and what violates them, can be discovered by rational examination of the human condition, see H.H. Hoppe for instance on this.
And by the way “do what thou wilt” is the extent of the law, so long as you understand that what you do may have consequences (which is exactly what Crowley meant when he said it).
chancy
“…Everyone has the right to impose justice on someone who engages in rights violations. …”
So….let me get this right.
FIRSTLY
YOU are saying that I, as in ME PERSONALLY, would have the right to go murder a Town Council member that I never met because I read about how he denied someone a zoning change????
Please, do answer that question because (while I can think of many people who would be greatly improved by death) I DONT really want to live in a society where everyone is randomly killing each other for random or unknown reasons. Do you?
Secondly
What makes you imagine that such a use of violence will end in the favor of ordinary people?
Pretty sure that the Mafia was a minority that used such lawless ways to impose their extra-judicial will upon others….. why (since that is how its always worked before) would it EVER be any different?
THIRDLY
Thankyou for agreeing with the earlier commenter who saaid that the system was Satanic.
Crowley (who was a horribly selfish person who harmed just about everyone he was close to) was – in his quest to become a god- utterly Satanic.
Glad you cleared that up…. its good that its understood why such a disgusting wretch is so popular with the rebellion crowd.
While on Crowley here is a quote from Marlows Faust
“…A sound magician is a mighty god…”
I dont recall what he said at the end, something about how he’d burn his books….but alas, it was too late.
The puppet dance at the end was actually the creepiest part of the play, but I read that kind of thing was normal for the time period.
Good play- I have been to the Globe in London but watched the play performed there on YouTube and must say that it was better then anything I’ve seen of Shakespear, even Julius Ceaser
“…… but this is a philosophy that is Satanic at its heart…”
Yes 100 % true.
Sad the number of people who can’t see the truth, honestly their is almost more hope for people who actively choose evil be they can at least change direction unlike the blind who will just keep walking down the gentle easy slope
I very much appreciated this video podcast. Thank you!
I read this book at least five years ago, and it helped change my view about participating in the election process by seeing the immorality of it.
It was a tough read for me, particularly given my indoctrination & devotion to religion & politics for much of my life. But, thankfully, the redundancy of driving home all the various points made regarding “authority” worked for me. I kept reading the book to the end, which admittedly is not something I always do. And my desire to really understand what he was saying and apply what I saw to be true from it to my life helped changed my view, and thereby changed the way I led my life thereafter.
I’ve recommended the book to others in the past. However, out of sight, out of mind, so I’m glad you’ve brought it back into view for me.
While listening to this podcast, I went ahead and purchased another copy of the book (since I’m at a different location than where my already-owned copy is housed).
I intend to read it again as a result of listening to this podcast because many of the excerpts you highlighted excited me given my present understanding — having grown since my last reading of the book. (I want to see what else I see by reading the entire book again.)
Also, while listening, I added the purchase of “The Politics of Obedience” referenced in the podcast. I’ve heard it addressed several times in the past but have never read it.
Again, I appreciated this format of a podcast, highlighting aspects of a book with your added commentary, and I believe I would likely respond favorably to future podcasts of a similar format (by reading the recommended materials in full on my own that are of personally-held interest, particularly if I find what you present inspiring and/or novel & beneficial). 🙂
As for Le Boetie, you can download a good free audiobook (with the introduction by Murray Rothbard) from https://mises.org/podcasts/politics-obedience-discourse-voluntary-servitude
Thank you, monad. Personally, I’m a big fan of hard copies, but I still appreciate the link. 🙂
We just got the book on Kindle for 6.72 euros and 42 for the book! I think I was a teen when I realised that the authority of others over me was really debatable. I understand the meaning of authority from the Covid when it was totally assumed that anything the ‘fact checkers’ said had to be true and abided by – I didn’t even know who these people were let alone let the say what we should be thinking. Authority means forcing vaccinations on the unvaxxed!
As I have done with many other books you or your guests have reviewed or highlighted, I added it to my library. Two copies (one for my son) are already on their way from a source that will give Larkin his due. Keep up the excellent work!
Thanks for this book review and highlights. Since you solicited comments, I encourage you to keep reviewing books. I had already read “The Most Dangerous Superstition” and enjoyed your summary. When talking with most friends and family, this idea, of course, is so beyond the pale that all I can do is ask questions of their beliefs. Perhaps I need some new friends…
HealthViaFood,
You sum it up rather neatly.
You highlight the risk. That being ; draw them out of the cave without being killed in the process. Your conclusion will abandon them to their own fate and love, what becomes of love? Does any one of these philosophical sides have any love in the mix? The knee knocking sausage making ,without love, is just beastiality in the field. A perversion of authority, wheather Caesars or Divine Superstition, will lead to perverse outcomes. I have a question for the learned. ” Why don’t we use the best of both, given what we know of human natures perverse proclivity ? Much work ahead for those who don’t burn it all down, or those who don’t abandon those confused loved ones.
YES… this deserves to be a new podcast series. It combines both the positive pro-active basis of Solutions Watch with the satisfaction of the narrative-following drives of the burrowing radical bookworms. A winning combination.
I read Larken’s book years ago, but I think you got the balance right — you gave a synopsis of the book but not an exhaustive (and exhausting) reading, so it doesn’t rob the would-be reader of the desire to explore the text more deeply. Yet you focus on the fundamental points, without which the viewer would feel cheated.
So I would carry on along this line, if I were you. It would be a good forum to exhume lost classics (you referenced one such classic, Etienne De La Boetie’s ‘Discourse on Voluntary Servitude) and maybe – if you thought it worth it – you could introduce one or two more obscure works (‘Revolve’ by Aaron Franz?) if you think they merit it.
The Most Dangerous Superstition/ Preparing the Reader: “Not only is it the truth, it also may be the most important truth you will ever hear.”
No, that would be The Gospel of Jesus Christ, which WILL be the most important truth you will ever hear.
Excellent first in a great new idea for a series.
Looks like my wife is finally going to read my copy signed in-person by Larken 🙂
You have to go esoteric to begin to understand WTF is really going on and why. The basics, like, half of humanity being PreAdamic and half Adamic. With the ‘veil’ making sure any Adamic, doesn’t remember a thing, here and now, or in the ‘afterlife’. Step by step we learn to handle our own mind, and thusly our own body, we learn perspicacity so that we can tell the difference between the ‘good guys’ and the ‘bad guys’, with the latter always proclaiming they are the ‘good guys’, and demanding support. This is life here in the school called purgatory. Learn your lessons, make your choice for the path of return, and empower that choice. Then you ‘graduate’ to the next level, the next classroom.
The game is rigged by design. Either join the controllers putting on this propaganda light show in Plato’s Cave, or find the exit and leave into the light/knowlege/truth. Left vs right… on the Tree of Life. The problem isn’t so much the way things are here, but that some of us, no longer fit into this paradigm and need to leave. That moment is rapidly approaching in the next few years as Mother Nature swings in to clean house. If you’ve read your geological history, you know what that means.
I am an anti authoritarian rather than an anarchist.
I have gone to war with every authority in my life, been expelled from every institution I was forced to be a part of to survive. The methodology has always been ridicule their pretention of command over me. The mark of true British punk is that it’s a piss take. Not serious or po faced. I identified as an anarchist when I read Orwell’s “Homage to Catalonia” and Solzhenitsyn’s novels. Both about the capricious horror of Soviet communism and its crushing top down agendas.
I see anarchism as theoretical, something which will be realised when humans can be financially independent. I stayed at Findhorn a few times but it had become a very expensive up market holiday resort run by dodgy Americans. That was my first experience of how amazingly rude American women can be.
I watched a documentary about 1960s hippy communes which often fell apart due to infighting and power struggles precisely due to the lack of a power. Same thing happened to a local anarchist restaurant. I also discovered the incredibly fucked up story of Anarchapulco where wealthy outsiders take huge amounts of cut price drugs and employ cut price locals. Jeff Berwick is basically an aging Tony Montana. Now living on a ranch selling a machine that will cure anything. Not cheap mind you.
The nearest thing to real world anarcho capitalism is the unspeakable CIA-Reagan-Thatcher monetarism or Ron Paul who is fabulous on freedom but really bad on welfare. Then there is coked up Zionist Javier Milei. A lot of these right wing leaders turn out to be Zionists
Financially independent is, in my mind, the most crucial part. States – or governments – are terrorist organisations and it‘s our duty to protect ourselves against terrorism. The best way to do so is to keep the government away from everything thats precious to us. Namenly: Family, Energy, Education, Information, Food, Water, Security, Health, waste disposal, Religion, Economy, Money and others. The latter one is probably the most important one. Many people aren‘t willing to do so because it‘s too convinient to still use Fiat money.
And then, we should honestly assess how independent we actually are. It‘s a stenuous effort but a goal to work towards to.
We, for instance, don‘t take cash for favors. Everything we do it‘s basically for free. When we help on construction sites, let people ride horses or when I help older friends/neightbours with „The Internet“ I rather accept a bucket of mangold than cash.
I met Larken Rose at Anarchapolco and liked him very much.
I bought this book from him.
For me, I found it a difficult read because of the way the book is formatted. I think he needed an editor.
The fact that Corbett broke it down, Cliff Notes-style was helpful.
The book should be revised for clarity.
I’ve been to both Anarchapolco and Porcfest, and find the Anarchists movement problematic, specifically because people like Jeff Berwick and Catherine Bleish have not been “impeccable with their words,” playing fast and loose with The Four Agreements. They take a lot of things personally. Catherine Bleish expressed how personally she took certain things and told us so, for about an hour on Anarchapolco’s main stage.
Maybe if Anarchists did make assumptions, it would aid in the instinct of self preservation and survival.
It’s right to assume that the Anarchist / Voluntarist movement has been infiltrated by grifters, and maybe a percentage of people aren’t sincere, and actually after your cash.
It’s also really interesting that these Anarchists will trade in Gold Backs, that are exclusively printed by affiliates of the Mormon church, and look me dead in the eyes and say “The Mormons aren’t violent. The Mormons never violated anybody.”
Yeah, and Jeff Berwick was never involved in fleecing American and Canadian citizens out of thousands of dollars in passport scams or Real Estate scams, and Max Igan isn’t scam-adjacent.
At least Larken Rose is sincere and honest.
Larken Rose is the most on-the-level, as Anarchists / Voluntarists go.
He also needs the money, because he and his wife are honest people and fell victim to a scam.
I do recommend signing up for his website, as he’s a very entertaining speaker.
Yea, I almost fell for “Galt’s Gulch: Chile”. At “FreedomFest” I was going to buy a parcel but the “broker-con artist” at the booth couldn’t look me in the eye, answer simple questions. I decided to wait, then after some “soul-searching” (introspection), I had to face it, I was trapped in an unfree world. There is no escape, so my only viable choice is to “keep on keeping on”, i.e., live as freely as possible, resisting authority without destroying myself. I do so by supporting Larken & Amanda, took “Candles in the Dark” in L.V, NV, bought it online, subscribe to “TheRoseChannel”. I read everything he has written.
Glad you mentioned this issue, scammers and grifters who take advantage of idealistic people who have a trusting nature especially the anarchists who are reluctant to use the state out or “coercive” power against a slimy con man.
It’s good to thoroughly vet people before investing money and if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
Thanks for mentioning Berwick. I was kind of surprised to learn that he was scamming people.
Jeff Berwick – Subthread circa 2020
https://corbettreport.com/interview-1565-james-corbett-in-democracy-down/#comment-89963
I read Larken’s book a few years ago, but this inspired me to read through it again. I think this is a good series since it can introduce people to more books that they might not be aware of. I would definitely be interested in seeing what other books you choose to include in the series and see how many I have read and how many are new to me.
Sold! (I have now purchased a physical copy and look forward to holding it in my hands)
Thanks for the recommendation James.
As someone that has now self-published a book myself I understand the disincentives in choosing the road less travelled (as an author). I had a couple publishers express interest but I did not want to give up creative control (they wanted my book to focus on one subject like Permaculture only, or seed saving only, or recipes only, rather than seed saving, composting, cultivating, harvesting, permaculture, recipes and philosophy all embodied in one holistic journey from seed to table, as my book is intended to be). I also chose not to go with publishers as I did I want to give up a significant cut of each sale in order to streamline getting my book out in hard copies (in a paper, binding and photo quality I was not sure I wanted to put my name behind), so I chose the more challenging path (of crowd funding part of the printing costs, then saving up the rest myself working long hours at a day job, seeking out a printing company myself and arranging all the nitty gritty details for formatting, printing, shipping etc).
To be honest, it was brutal, it took a lot out of me, but I am glad I went the distance for this at least this first 500 copy printing run (so I can have full discretion regarding where my book is sold and for how much etc). In the future I may have to go with a preferred publisher (as tryna work a full time physically demanding day job while simultaneously arranging shipping logistics for hundreds of books is a lot).
I am tempted to go with print on demand services (such as those that are offered by Amazon, and my wife keeps telling me I should as these long nights, after long hard days at work, packaging books, seeds and labelling for shipping take a toll) and also that would allow people to gain access to the empowering and educational material in my book world wide in an expedited fashion, but I face the ethical conundrum of also recognizing that corporations like Amazon represent the antithesis of the ethos of my book and it’s message. Thus, so far I have refrained from using their services.
(continued..)
(continued from above..)
I am not using Amazon’s print on demand services at this point in time as I would have to learn more about the materials used, their sourcing and the methods and technologies used in manufacturing and putting the books together before I would consider it. Then there is also the ethical dilemma of getting further into bed with a transnational corporation that is hell bent on pushing the transhumanist agenda, hyper-consolidation of material wealth into the hands of oligarchs and various other degenerative movements being pushed onto humanity and the body of our Mother Earth by the current plutocracy.
However, I am also striving to take a step back and consider the bigger picture in terms of how that choice would enable a wider audience to gain access to the practical material in the pages of my book (and in a more expedited timeframe than when I am self-publishing, handling printing logistics as well as packaging/shipping logistics myself) so I am not sure about that aspect at this point in time.
Even considering all of the benefits of Amazon POD and distribution, I still find it challenging attempting to reconcile the fact that the main message of my book is to offer empowerment for individuals to be able to attain food and health sovereignty through radical decentralization (attained through cultivating a reciprocal/regenerative relationship with the Earth and divesting from feeding into degenerative and parasitic centralized systems) with the potential of using the services of a corporation that in essence represents the antithesis of the message in my book.
In the greater scheme of things, perhaps my choosing to let go of (or loosening) holding onto that limitation in my ethical principles would allow for the propagation of solutions based knowledge, perspectives and techniques (contained within the pages of my book) which would set down roots in enough communities all over and serve to empower and motivate many to choose to starve the beast of the corporatocracy in the end (despite the somewhat hypocritical method through which would have used to facilitate getting the book into their hands). Perhaps I can plant the seeds for something new to grow that are moved through the channels of that system in the knowing I am hastening it’s demise and that those seeds will wait until the body of that system has fallen and begun to decompose before they germinate in great numbers and begin to grow the roots of a new way of living on and interacting with this Earth.
So those are the thoughts bouncing around in my head regarding Amazon and publishing, printing and distributing books.
In any case, I wrote this as my way to say I feel your pain Larken, and I can relate. I am glad you are selling this book (in what ever physical format and mode of distribution works for your situation) and i`ll share the important message contained within it’s pages with others who I feel are receptive.
Keep up the great work brother.
By the way, Gavin. Wien I tried to buy your Book through Paypal checkout it Said: Billing State / County is not valid. Please enter one of the following: Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia
I would not even know how to do it.
@Lusatia
Thanks for the heads up.
I am not sure how the paypal system works for “valid billing states” and/or “valid countries”. Other people have been telling me it works fine (though I am aware that paypal is not an ideal financial institution as they engage in censorship/de-banking campaigns etc).
I wish I was more technically inclined as I would create some kind of alternative payment platform methods than paypal on my website but the person who helped me set up my website is no longer available/willing to help me upgrade/update it.
If you prefer to do an e-transfer we could do that instead, email me if so and we can set it up.
I am also open to bartering if you have created something you would like to offer in exchange for a book and seeds.
Hey Gavin, I revisited it and I saw this field was required on the shop site, Not Paypal related. Order was now completed, i am looking forward to it! Keep up your Great work. Cheers
@Lusatia
I am glad you figured out a way to make it work, I see the order went through on my end.
Thanks very much for ordering a copy of my book!
I will throw in some extra heirloom seeds with your copy to help make the wait and shipping costs worth while.
I`ll let you know via email when the package with the book and seeds ships out.
Cheers
just buy the book from the author? buy it from someone else, download it, steal it, whatever.
Nobody is twisting your arm to deal with the company you loathe?
Just buy. the. book.
Gavin,
Take a leap of faith and get an editor. There’s a good one in Texas, but I’m forbidden to tell you what city she is in. Ask James, he can connect you and you will get a 10 to 1 ROI on your leep of faith!
@GBW
I would be down with taking your advice on that if i could afford it. Still crawling out of debt after a weather warfare operation dumped 7 inches of rain on us in a couple hours last summer and totalled our basement (insurance was weak and I had to do serious mold remediation, drywall, floors and some structural re-enforcement) but all the good people from this community buying ebooks recently has been helpful (with the discount I gave for the Solutions Watch episode I am selling the physical books at pretty much materials cost level, so that is more to help people than for making a profit).
I am aware that my grammar and formatting is not great, and though I did go over the book several times myself and my wife also attempted to do some editing, I know some significant errors made it through on the first printing run.
I am tryna go all permaculture design mentality on that and see those problems as solutions (looking at the errors and less than ideal book design/formatting as an invitation to learn and make my 2nd edition amazing).
In the end I am happy that I went for it and printed when I did, as if I would have waited for everything to be perfect to try and please everyone, that catastrophic flash flood would have snuck up on me and burned through all my savings, resulting in no book being printed at all (at least for quite some time).
I am busting by backside working my day job saving up so maybe i`ll be able to afford an editor, book designer (and hopefully some kind of shipping service/logistics coordinator) for my second edition of Recipes For Reciprocity and for my next book. Either way the books are gonna provide viable, actionable intel and practical (decentralized) scalable solutions, so i`ll be happy I am putting those out into the world even if the finished product is not smooth and shiny (design, formatting and grammar wise).
I am putting the bulk of the focus of my time and energy on the hands on experimentation, physical research (companion planting, tree propagation and medicine preservation) so that is where the value will be either way.
I do appreciate the thoughtful comment and will inquire with James if I think an editor will be viable for my situation for future publications.
On a separate note,
How are those peppers, tomatoes and corn coming along over there? 🙂
G
Corn as high as an elephants eye! Loaded with ears.
Peppers and amaranth took 40 day to sprout, and coming on with the 100+ temps.
Best tomato crop ever!
It’s doable people.
@GBW
Nice work brother!
You godda try making some blue masa with the mature ears and make some homemade tortillas. Blue tacos, nachos and burritos are next level delicious/nutritious.
Ya Amaranth and peppers are finicky to sprout outside sometimes. I use a heating matt for pepper seeds in march and I find that throw sowing Amaranth on dark colored soil (and not adding any soil on top) helps them germinate faster.
What are you gonna make with those purple tomatoes? 🙂
Thanks for the thoughtful response.
How do we get from ‘here’ to ‘there’? Anarchy is a very comfortable perspective for me and I can muster the strength of will to make it work for me as an individual. I enjoy the freedom of thought and movement that this perspective offers.
BUT, how do we deal with the vast unthinking masses, including most of my friends and family? How do we create a society that respects individual freedom when 80-90% of the western world obeyed the vaccine order? We can’t force the sheeple to think/read/care. I can and do model anarchy but I can’t see that tipping the scale.
The vaccine order – including all of the restrictions and demonizing of ‘those conspiracy theorists’. Even at one point publishing opinion columns that all anti-vaxxers should be killed, before we kill their grandmas. How do we reach such incredibly obedient slaves?
There’s only some people who will be open to new ideas or who in the face of great stress can treat others with respect. Many people can’t do this and become tyrannical, blindly following orders, like a robot.
Even some of the most brainwashed doctors I worked with didn’t believe in forcing people to take the jab and in their practice of medicine recognized the importance of autonomy. It is one of the only reasons I stayed in mainstream health care because I worked in a place that did uphold basic ethical principles.
Small intentional communities is the way to go IMO. Finding people who are of like mind an helping them rather than banging ones head against the wall with people who can’t listen. I don’t want to “convert” people and I think that’s the wrong way to look at it.
If people want to be ruled and submit to bodily violation that’s their choice but I do not and will not so have moved to a place where others hold similar values.
This was just the push I needed to finally buy the book!
Thank you!
I really enjoyed this podcast. I don’t read books. but I will buy the book to support it and who knows maybe one day I will.
I just don’t have the patience. My mind will start wondering. Don’t get me wrong, I do read articles and what not.
I gifted it to my girlfriend today, she turned 28.
The book made your girlfriend turn 28? Well, paint me black and call me a kettle, how old was she before you gave her the book? What a crazy time to be alive.
I just wanted to let you know, James, that this presentation was very inspiring and has definitely made me want to read the whole book. I will order a copy and read it! Thank you
James, the timing of this episode is purely awesome! Just this past weekend on a whim, I set aside time to finally watch “Jones Plantation” on Saturday, mind blown by its message.
Then, yesterday morning I did a little digging on the creators, and discovered Larken, namely the first image that appear in association with him is the cover of “The Most Dangerous Superstition.”
Last night, I saw your new episode listed. Hurray, synchronicity!
If I’d started researching the creators any sooner, I’d have caught the deadline
Of registering for “Tiny Candles” by its deadline of Sunday, the 23rd.
Bought it! From eBay, not Amazon. I prefer not to contribute to Jeff Bezos’s space travels or to the corporate that made a killing in 2020 when other businesses were forced to close.
The book maybe has some flaws and its ideas are not perfect, but I’m not looking for an oracle – just some inspiring thoughts, and it clearly has an abundance of those.
Great solutions-focused podcast format James.
Extremely valuable episode, pls bring more like that!
I am familiar with Larken’s work, watched his presentations and The Plantation movie, but haven’t read his book as yet.
I will get the physical version right away.
Keep up the great work
James, yes this episode has got me to part with some money to buy the paperback copy of this book, thank you for your passionate advocacy it came across well. I think that as you inferred in your episode on this book, actually reading the words on the page helps one’s ability to digest and internalise what the author is saying. The emotional habitual need to give over my authority to someone else to make decisions on my behalf has been deeply ingrained in my upbringing. I hope the study of this book helps to de programme me completely of this habit which is based on ulimately on fear and probably some laziness too. 🙂
Here is a quick, probably common story about authority.
Steve Lukather was the guitarist for Toto, a two hit (Africa, Roseanna) band. He was also a renowned session guitarist who said the secret of his success was that his reaction to being screamed at was to smile beatifically. He played the main rhythm parts on the Michael Jackson song ‘Thriller’ saying there was a lot of screaming on that recording.
Steve Lukather interview https://youtu.be/4nBbzajS29o?t=2471
My reaction to being shouted at was to explode and take the whole room with me. I was Willie The Janitor’s angry Scots/Irish cousin. I am five foot six but men a foot bigger would literally run away from me. I never instigated violence, otherwise I would still be in jail from my 20s.
no, won’t be reading the book because the first punchline made me laugh out loud. I’ve known since I was 5 that authority is a scam to be avoided full time. that was 67 years ago. and agree with its premises. I smiled all the way thru your talk. thanks
I won’t buy the book but there are a few sections I’d like to read.
However, I will suggest it to a few people
in my family.
I appreciate hearing about these ideas in detail. Don’t stop doing this kind of offering.
Thanks!
Thank you for this episode. I’m reading his book and value learning new things and will also research the philosophical underpinnings of these concepts.
As an aside, the issue of immigration since we live in a welfare state and within a mainstream system (at least many people do), is a point of disagreement on a pragmatic level.
However the state is certainly not solving the issue and is actually encouraging weaponized immigration in many countries which do in many cases harm the citizens who live there who don’t have the ability to move to another location. It is a violation of their boundaries which is wrong. In fact, there was a case in Arizona I think where a migrant was shot because he was allegedly trespassing and stealing from the land owner. The state actually arrested the guy who is elderly and is facing charges.
There are people who are flooding into various nations who come from cultures very different from the host culture which is causing substantial problems. The world in which we live is not ideal and sometimes pragmatism must be considered.
I suppose this is another example of failure of government, those arbitrary borders that theoretically prevent “foreign” threats.
I do also think that there may be a difference between a nation and a state.
As I have gotten older my intuition and pragmatism has tempered my idealism having lived among a wide spectrum of human beings and recognizing that people aren’t perfect including myself. Sometimes my gut instinct is right and if something doesn’t “feel” right, there’s usually something more I need to consider.
It’s the gut feeling I had with the scamdemic, a sense of impending doom that it was wrong. It’s how I felt when I saw the 9/11 MSM coverage and they conveniently found a passport or drivers license in the burnt rubble. My gut said “something is off”.
With immigration, I have a similar “something is off” vibe.
I’m a very good listener and pretty empathetic to other points of view because I try to see from others perspectives, so I can see that there is nuance here that should probably be explored.
It looks like I am having a “voluntaryist” approach to life, though I have never really thought deeply about which form of society I would like to see replacing the current one(s).
Definitely want to get a physical copy of the book…..it seems to be to the mind what the pencil sharpener is to the pencil. A help to put into meaningful concepts something that sometimes might be only a vague feel for what is just and true.
Government as indistinguishable from organized crime EXAMPLE : An old guy named Anthony with a new jersey accent offers me and my business “protection” if I take what he is offering for the price of the annual money his organization takes from me against my will… “Think of your grandmother… it’d be a shame is something bad happened to her…”
It dawned on me recently that our friend James, who I really do like, may not realize that he is simply another flavor of utopian. Anarchism is utopian just as much as the Own Nothing And Be Happy People are utopian.
As much as I do not like anyone telling me what to do, I simply don’t trust that everyone else is able to manage their own behavior like I do. I prefer laws and law enforcement.
With true anarchy, you would have to use weapons and electric fences to protect yourself from those who do not respect private property and your right to be an anarchist.
It’s really nice to see some of the comments here that acknowledge that God is the top authority, like it or not.
Side note:How about that Nvidia stock?
Is it possible to have law and law enforcement without the state? I mean there is an acknowledgment of natural law, meaning law based on intrinsic morality.
I think an anarchist community could exist on a small scale with like minded people. When people know their neighbors and there is some type of real community involvement people are much less likely to commit crime against those in their community. Although it can happen.
I think his critique of “the state” comes from a rational position of just how corrupt, tyrannical and evil it’s actions have been on it’s own population. And democracy is really a deception because the power comes from the “elite” not the heads of state. They are just figure heads on a national level. If things matter on a local level, I’m sure these parasites could manipulate those as well.
But yeah, Mr. Corbett is an idealist and I respect that. I think an improvement with more personal responsibility and liberty and valuing these ideas are what the book aims to achieve recognizing that this kind of shift in mind and heart will be a slow steady process.
His narrative is much more appealing than doing what’s always been done over and over again. But you are right that there is no utopia. That only exists in ones mind.
I would like to know more about James’ musical interests. A question for Corbett would be – it’s great you love the Beatles and I massively respect you for that, what else you are into music wise. I think would be a great series.
Or thoughts on the music industry and music culture in general and how since streaming it’s changing how we listen to music and engage with it. A huge part of the agenda.
There’s really interesting musical movements that were connected purely by music, the rave scene is one of the most progressive music scenes you cn get and interesting to explore how the powers that shouldn’t be have systematically been dismantling this for decades. The organic music scene I mean. Interesting to explore, don’t you all think?
this podcast was riveting. I ordered the book and will also look up the Rose website. Many many thanks.
Ordered the book. The episode motivated me to read it
Your book reviews as well as your FLNWO episodes nudge me to pick up the original titles and then tune in/re-listen for the deep analysis. It helps me consolidate the information and better parse the agenda. It also gives me the sense that I’m part of an alternative to Oprah style book club!
I think this type of review is essential. I don’t know whether I will read the book after listening to this podcast (as the stack of yet-to-read books is increasing faster than my slow-reading skills can keep up with), but I am more likely to read it after this podcast than before. Furthermore, the best tool the media controllers have, is what is NOT reported, and thus keeping these books and ideas in the goldfish memory of the public’s mind (of which I am complicit) is the antithesis to the would-be media controllers. Also, the repeated encouragement to read thought-provoking works is increasingly important because of the deteriorating attention spans that result from consuming electronic media.
But as for government I have been reflecting on 1 Samuel 8, when Israel demands a king. God’s warning: the king will make your life miserable and you will regret it, but God allowed it respecting their choice, even though it was not in their-or His- best interest. In my view, there is only one Authority worthy of submission, but that Authority fought to the death to defend a voluntaristic transcendent relationship.
There Is No such Thing as Legitimate or Moral Government, Rule, or Authority, and There Has Never Been – LewRockwell
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2024/06/gary-d-barnett/there-is-no-such-thing-as-legitimate-or-moral-government-rule-or-authority-and-there-has-never-been/.
Starts with a Larken quote
James please keep doing these book reviews. I believe that they are valuable to the freedom community. I am currently reading this book due to the fact that it was available as an audio book. What your podcast has done is to encourage me to purchase either the accompanying eBook or a hard copy to highlight. Podcasts like this point me to trustworthy books to read. So yes these in depth reviews encourage me to read those books whose subject matter interests me sooner rather than later.
Definitely this made me buy the book, read it, and add it to my library.
Great rendition, James.
Any gubment and it’s “organs” are far, far worse than any other criminal enterprise. When the goons rob you, they won’t pretend it’s for your own good while your family and friends may even try to help you out if they are close by while you’re getting robbed.
Will read the book. Thanks James.
Excellent intro, James. I just bought the Kindle version on Amazon Canada. I look forward to seeing the details of how it would all work. Thanks to you and Larken.
It made me buy and read (in a week) the book.
also: ppl please stop posting 100+ worded essays in the comment section? It’s not easy to read or follow a thread.
just keep it short… please?
buy the book, or get it here https://download.library.lol/main/1147000/b7cec738cd92e727a215bf24818a619a/Larken%20Rose%20-%20The%20Most%20Dangerous%20Superstition-Iron%20Web%20Publications%20%282011%29.pdf
Frederick Douglass QUOTE
QUEUED VIDEO
https://odysee.com/@corbettreport:0/ep461-superstition:d?t=2615
43:40 EXCERPTS
Frederick Douglass, a former slave, witnessed and described that exact phenomenon among his fellow slaves, many of whom were proud of how hard they worked for their masters and how faithfully they did as they were told.
From their perspective, a runaway slave was a shameful thief, having stolen himself from the master.
Douglass described how thoroughly indoctrinated many slaves were, to the point where they truly believed that their own enslavement was just and righteous:
”I have found that, to make a contented slave, it is necessary to make a thoughtless one.
It is necessary to darken his moral and mental vision, and, as far as possible, to annihilate the power of reason.
He must be able to detect no inconsistencies in slavery.
He must be made to feel that slavery is right, and he can be brought to that only when he ceases to be a man.”
I definitely want to read Larkens book, but no copies available anywhere. I think the ideas are fascinating. Larkin probably isn’t aware of print on demand. Would definitely work for this book and make copies readily available. Thanks James for making me aware of this.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Matthew 28:18
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
Psalm 118:8
https://biblescan.com/search.php?q=authority
https://biblescan.com/search.php?q=all+authority
“American liberty is being eroded, and our Biblical foundation is under constant attack.”
https://wallbuilders.com/
I’m late to this party, but I was both intrigued and stimulated by both your taking the time to help provide key passages and to extrapolate and comment on more critical issues raised by the author. I personally appreciate and enjoyed this format for educating and sharing from the wealth that you have amassed from your years of study, consideration and thoughtful disclosure. I am older, retired, and have for many years questioned the “status quo” though I existed in the work world on a corporate plantation until I fled it during CVD….and am a long-time believer in Jesus, having dismissed and distanced myself from the machinations of the 501c3 organization, the “traditions, rituals & theological disputes” attending virtually every misrepresentation of the New Testament reality that is conveyed in scripture to those who have been enlightened and recognize that the “church” is not an organization, it is a living organism, interdependent and comprised of those who have been given a new life, a renewed mind and granted freedom from the world system and the snares of the fraud we’ve been steeped in from birth to our awakening. All to say that I’ve downloaded a copy and have purchased a hard copy and because of this (and seeing your interviews with the author) will be in earnest to see how well the author’s thesis matches my very different (and I believe more clearly 1st century voluntary, cooperative, mutual beneficial non-formal and non organized vision (EX: “home” churches where every “member” comes together to share, care about one another and to build up and practice love, compassion and celebrate the joy of liberation — not just on a specific day, overseen by an appointed authority, following specific traditions and rituals but an organic gathering of those who embrace their personal responsibility and giftings to participate in the functioning of the “body” of their Savior as manifested her eon earth for a time. You have added another piece to the jigsaw puzzle and for that I’m grateful. Persist!
In response to purchasing a hard copy :
There are no copies available in UK. I found the only copy and bought it. UK residents have no option to purchase from amazon.com and abebooks.com (amazon in disguise) have only 2 copies but want $75 each plus postage. I hope Larken can make more copies available. Can not wait to read. Thank you for the excellent review, James. Keep up the always outstanding work, my friend. Love and blessings..
♥️🙏🕉♥️
JAMES
THIS PODCAST ALWAYS MAKES ME BUY THE BOOK. PLEASE DON’T STOP.
CONTINUED EDUCATION OF SELF IS LIFE ITSELF.
Hi James, thank you for that, I’d heard of the book and having read Etienne’s book on voluntaryism, and having been one for pretty much all my life, whenever possible not ‘towing the line’ if I thought the ‘line’ was idiotic, I didn’t bother to look further at ‘the most dangerous superstition’, thinking I more or less know it all… You proved me wrong, when you mentioned tips on speaking to people about this topic, which I find more difficult than writing, and also when you mentioned childrearing, probably the next most important thing once one has ones self accepted the best meaning of the words anarchist and anarchism.
So! I WILL be purchasing a copy. Thanks again.
Thank you for all the essential information and insights you and your teams share, James!
My sister sent me a link today to a blog by Belgian-Canadian consultant, teacher, author Jean-Jacques Crèvecoeur, now established in Quebec, who studied theoretical quantum physics and philosophy at Namur University in Belgium. He is currently opening our eyes with a series of lectures on his website entitled “Déchirer les voiles” or “Tearing the veils”. As I noted your French accent is good in your video, I thought you would be interested in his views!
In his latest presentation, DLV45 “Edward Bernays ou l’art de la propagande” he suggests first viewing his talk DLV43 – De la servitude volontaire, which covers a pamphlet written in 1548 by Étienne de la Boétie about “voluntary servitude; Boétie hailed from a well-to-do family established in southwestern France. The concepts are very much those examined by Larken.
JJC mentions at the outset of DLV43 that South American Indian civilizations were largely decimated as a result of salt deprivation when their salt stores were confiscated by conquistadors. I had never heard such information before. He reminds us about the importance of salt and salt taxes (gabelle) in medieval France and in many other countries, speaking of control…
I have been aware for many years that sea salt is the better option and I appreciate the very thorough explanations provided by Barbara O’Neill: https://youtu.be/IP5zShv9PRg
“Barbara O’Neill’s shocking Salt Discovery:The Truth Nobody Told You!”
Whereas “table salt” is “97-99% sodium chloride” plus anticaking agents (sodium aluminosilicate or magnesium carbonate) and “saline solution” is a combination of “sodium chloride and sterile water,” Celtic salt/sea salt contains 92 trace minerals.
The implications are stupendous in view of the widespread occurrence of osteoporosis and the ubiquity of ill health. A friend is currently hospitalized and receiving a “saline drip” but is otherwise on a strict “no salt” diet at home… Her ill health is worsening with metastases to her bones…
Emelm
ps:
France Soir is a French media that is working hard to present unbiased facts. Here is a 2021 interview of J-J. Crèvecoeur by Richard Boutry, a French journalist who has yet to relinquish his integrity:
https://www.francesoir.fr/opinions-entretiens-videos-le-defi-de-la-verite/le-defi-de-la-verite-jean-jacques-crevecoeur
Find Jean-Jacques Crèvecoeur’s private channel here: You can sign up for free.
https://formations.emergences.net/products/chaine-privee-gratuite-de-jjc/
Emelm
As a libertarian, I can relate to a lot of what’s said here. But there are always things that absolutely don’t make sense to me. Anarchism seems to consider that people are better than they actually are. A part of the book claims that we fear not knowing how people would act without government, I’d argue that the issue is we do know pretty well how they would act. Therefore a central organization is needed in communities as large as a country. Remove it and you’ll quickly get something absolutely identical, either that or chaos.
Also I don’t really get the point of insisting on the fact that the government doesn’t exist. I think most people understand what it is: an agreement. The book doesn’t really contradict the counter-examples it quotes about the subject. We can actually change from one place to another if we don’t like it. The only difference from an actual contract we sign is that we’re “forced” according to the place we choose. That happens in every community, big or small, ruled by a government or not. (Think of a house-share for instance. And even there the possibility of government intervention can be reassuring.)
That said, obviously it’s difficult to find a perfect government anywhere, and that’s an euphemism. But the concept itself is not the root of the problem. The root is the lack of knowledge or interest of the people, that let parts of the system be corrupt. Anyway, just my two cents. But still an interesting position to hear about in more details.
I never agreed with anyone over institution of government, and yet it exists. What are you talking about?
Word “government” means “to rule the mind” or mind control. What’s there to be misunderstood about this?
I’ve never agreed to the laws of physics, and yet they exist. I understand the will to have full freedom, but it’s an impossible notion.
Also, not sure where you heard this etymology of the word government but that’s not it. “ment” doesn’t mean mental but simply is the suffix for all adverbs in latin languages. And no offense but it would be nice to avoid this condescending tone unless you come up with better reasons. 😉
OK, I’ve endured a lot of stupid today, I’ll endure this as well. The Demiurge seems to be on the fritz lately, trying to throw me off track, but not today.
You are now comparing man held false beliefs (i.e. government) with Natural Law? Is Natural Law an agreement? You used the word “agreement” when describing (justifying) the government, mind you. This is the typical mind gymnastics you believers have to pull off to somehow settle the cognitive dissonance. Not everyone is like that, you know. Mental gymnastics make some of use ill. Thank the lord for that one.
Natural Law is immutable, irrefutable and ever present. It can be broken, but not without consequence. It has nothing to do with man, it exists regardless of belief systems and it’s inherent to the universe in which we are mere temporary guests.
Government, on the other hand, is a mind poison (a virus, if you please, these two words used to mean the same thing anyway) proliferated to a very specific end. The end being, to allow the weak to govern the strong by subjugating the weak minded majority. Government is slavery. Government is theft. Government is the result of people’s false belief that some men have more rights than others. It goes hand in hand with moral relativism.
Government, unlike Natural Law, is certainly not immutable, it is refutable and it was not and will not be ever present. It can only exist with help of masses of believers, on a very limited area during a very limited span of time. It is temporary in nature and weak, it depends on the feeble minded to govern, snitch on and censor themselves. And their families and friends, examples of which the history is replete with.
government = gubernare + mens (mentis) QED
I guess you are of the persuasion that the word “government” is coined similarly to word “pavement”. If that is the case, I guess there’s absolutely no point in discussing etymology further. You do you, god bless.
A quick quiz in closing:
a) proponents of anarchy murdered x million people throughout history
b) proponents of government murdered y million people throughout history
Fill in x and y, rough estimates are acceptable. How does x relate to y and what does the relation tell you? Discuss with your friends and family.
lol After being condescending, you dare to start your response with a personal attack? And you obviously didn’t understand anything I wrote. Talk about being brainwashed. I don’t bother answering such stupid trolls. Buy. 😉
mkey
“….Government, on the other hand, is a mind poison (a virus, if you please, these two words used to mean the same thing anyway) proliferated to a very specific end. The end being, to allow the weak to govern the strong by subjugating the weak minded majority. ….”
NO- thats the modern liberal Democratic form of Government designed to hide who actually is in charge.
Are you seriously saying that when a war band comes and enslaves peasants that they are WEAKER then the peasants?
The majority is, and always will be, weak minded and will submit to whomever looks like they know what their doing. If you get ten guys to dig a ditch generally by the end of the day one of them will be the leader.
Government can be good or bad, just or tyrannical, but it is and always has been a fact of life. It always will be, because the people demand to be governed,
Good points. I’d simply bring nuance to the conclusion. I’d rather say it always will be because it’s the most logical way that a society gets organized. People need to delegate, and have conflicting interests from one another. So someone else deciding for the common good (supposedly) is a necessity.
yes, thats a better way to put it.
timorite
“…Anarchism seems to consider that people are better than they actually are….”
You are dealing with a religious feeling with people who insist upon government being unnatural or immoral. It is, IMO, a perversion of the Christian worldview- much like Communism wishes to create Heaven Without God.
Obviously Government DOES exist because it has physical effects (like putting you in jail) so they are left in the position of claiming that its immoral or illegitimate (which, TBH it often is) but most will then do endless regression as to what morality and legitimacy actually ARE or cobble together something about “Natural LAw” being a thing that just exists ‘because’.
The issue with natural law is that, without God, its only existence can be physical in the sense of Might Makes Right….thats a step to far for most people, thankfully.
Yes. There’s a bit of a contradiction between claiming it doesn’t exist, while at the same time acknowledging its negative effects. It’s of course not tangible, unless we consider that the word defines the people who compose it. But it’s like saying intelligence doesn’t exist because it’s just a theoretical view trying to depict biological functions. Yet we do see its effects and can even measure it broadly.
But anyway I think the purpose of that part of the book was rather to pose a premise in order to prepare for its argument, rather than making a rhetorical point. Not the most effective as far as I’m concerned, but I don’t mind the idea.
Good Morning, I like to go back in time, to hear things, so this podcast was in June, but it is now August 2024. Mr. Corbett, I do not know you well enough to call you James. I listen or watched the whole thing, I am not so weak in my beliefs, that I can not hear something out. I wish more humans were like that. As I was listening to the information and opinions or beliefs of the episode, I was thinking of a few things.
First of all, to answer your question, I am interested in getting a copy of the book and reading it to make notes, for myself and others as I pass the book to others.
Second I learned long ago a very important thing, that apply to the conversation. It is that, I used to think every human started out on day one the same. The same feelings, the same desires etc…. I was proven wrong on that belief. One day walking into a newborn nursey, looking at my first grandchild, and I noticed all the babies. they were all a day or so old, some even younger only hours old. Do you know what I found out as fact and not fiction, all humans are born with a personality. Some of those babies were crying, some quiet, some looking around, some smiling, some made to cry, after they heard another baby start. No one taught these new little humans what to feel, think or do.
My point is humans are not all “good” and they are turned “bad,” some are born evil. Some humans are strong, some are weak minded, no one made them that way, as they grew up, you either are or you are not.
As adults, some (most) need others to guide them, because they are just followers, so if they see others doing things wrong, and no one there to guide them in the difference between right and wrong, they will do wrong.
As a strong minded human being, shouldn’t I guide the weak minded ones to know there is a difference between right and wrong? Not make the choice for them, but show them the difference, if they choose the evil then they need to be removed from society for the benefit of the other weak minded humans in the society?
Then who gave me that “special” power or” authority?” No one, but it is needed for the benefit of the weak minded.
Mr. Corbett at 1:10 you say they should be taught to be moral human beings… really how will that work, if someone is born evil? Do you have any evidence that a group of human children can be taught morality and live that way for their entire life? 1:11 you talk about under anarchy it is the opposite… ??? 1:14 you talk about having a group for enforcing and protecting the main group? Who is to say they will do what is good and not evil? Second no one has to follow orders against their will or consent? So in other words, if someone wants to steal from the people in the main group, or beat them up, or put them down, it is okay, because they have a right to follow their own will? Why have a militia to enforce things within the group, if everyone is free to do what they want to?
The only way this type of community would work, is if everyone believed exactly the same way about everything, and as a thinking human being that is not possible, so the community needs an enforcement group correct?
Nobody is born evil, that is something that does no happen. To believe otherwise is the result of swallowing the propagnda hook, line and sinker.
Granted, a certain percentage of the population as born as primary psychopaths (some say 5%) but even being born as such does not make evil.
To become evil, one must obtain a broken thought process, something that is established long after birth. And is a far far more common occurrence than the majority would even care to believe.
Mkey thank you for responding to my comment, I must let you know I do not just accept something someone says. So my response to you is where is your proof for all you said. It may be accurate, but from where do you get these beliefs? Have you done an experiment starting with babies and follow them through out their life and proven your beliefs?
In my comment, I was asking questions and looking for examples and proof.
Well, unless I have misread your comment, you have put forward the conjecture that children are/can be born evil. Where is your proof for what you said?
mkey at least let us break down the conversation to understanding each others words. What does evil mean to you? What does good mean to you?
What does it mean to you?
mkey haha question with a question, you are not interested in a conversation, but thanks for trying to have one.
Mr. Corbett, your information is very interesting thanks for all that you do, I want to let you know that I am a believer and your information helps me to see…
You are using words and then putting the onus on me to define them? That’s really something.