Voluntaryist, Writer and Anarcho-Rapitalist: Jared Howe

in #introduceyourself8 years ago (edited)

My name is Jared Howe, and I'm a Voluntaryist.

I'm also a technical writer for a software company, a classically trained guitarist, a hip hop artist and a free lance writer specializing in ethics, Austrian economics, abolitionism and anarchism.

I'm a firm believer in the natural law of "do no harm", and I view all rights as property rights. Property rights are established to avoid conflict over scarce, rivalrous resources. By acknowledging the "best link" between an individual and a rivalrous resource, we acknowledge the rightful owner of that resource. By applying these principles to the bodies of individual people, we provide a framework that allows us to minimize conflict among people and determine liability when conflict occurs.

Human beings are among the most rivalrous of available resources, which is why slavery and plunder have occurred throughout all of human history. However, there is no better link to an individual's body than the free will of that individual, which means that no one should violate the bodily integrity of any individual without that individual's consent.

Most people already feel this way when it comes to sexual relationships. Most people likewise recognize that rape is immoral. My goal is to get people to universalize this notion with regard to all interactions. When we acknowledge that all rights are property rights, it necessarily implies that all crimes are a form of trespass. Assault, kidnapping, torture, rape and slavery are trespasses against the body while theft is a trespass against the personal effects of the body.

So while most people are offended at the prospect of regarding people as property, doing so is actually the most humane and moral position as it allows us to most effectively acknowledge and protect the bodily integrity of individuals. The non-aggression principle is a duty, or negative obligation, which arises from property rights. Without property rights, there is no non-aggression principle.

That's why I start from property rights and the action axiom with regard to everything I do. I want everyone to be equally free from the aggression of men and women who call themselves "government". Costumes, badges, guns and fancy paper don't create moral exceptions for theft and murder.

I realize that this is sometimes a tough sell on paper because it can be dry material to get through (so thank you if you're still following along), which is why I put as much of this as I can into my podcasts, art and music. My artist name is J3443ONE (Jerry One) and I've been rapping about self-ownership since before I considered myself a Voluntaryist. It's been very exciting to see both my own progression as an artist and the increased positive response to my work over the years.

If you like what I'm doing musically, feel free to keep up with my work on Soundcloud @ https://soundcloud.com/j3443one. I have almost one million plays on Soundcloud so if you're into hip hop and voluntaryism, you might end up being a fan of my work (especially if you're also a fan of rappers like Aesop Rock and Del The Funkee Homosapien).

If you like my writing, I publish content several times daily on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/therealjaredhowe in addition to what I publish here on Steemit.

I'm also an administrator for the Seeds of Liberty Podcast (host of my weekly podcast THE DOWNFALL) and Living in Modern Times facebook pages, so you can definitely find my content there as well.

I'm glad to be on Steemit! I've had a great first week here and hope to have several more! This platform is BRIMMING with talented content creators. I'm excited to help you all make the world a more voluntary place!

-Jared

I'm Jared Howe! I'm a Voluntaryist hip hop artist and professional technical editor/writer with a passion for Austrian economics and universal ethics. You can catch my podcast every Friday on the Seeds of Liberty Podcast Network.

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We have featured you on our best of steem post! https://steemit.com/bestofsteem/@steemzine/steemzine-the-best-of-steem-1
good to have you onboard!

Hey and a warm welcome!

Thanks for verifying on your facebook that this is indeed your account!

When I see that you've posted...I feel like a kid waking up on Christmas morning, eager to take a look at what's waiting for me under the tree.

That's really kind of you to say, Brian. Thanks man!

Hi @jaredhowe! Just wanted to let you know that my new post "The 40 anarchists you want to follow on Steemit!" is up, and you're on the list :-) You can find it here

Jared, I had never heard the term Anarcho-Rapitalist before this article. I'm so glad I read to the end - so the meaning became clear. Listening to your work now.

Much appreciated, thank you!

Lots of labels.... "I am x, I am y, I am z".
Strange days where we TLDR and pre frame all our intro posts. I guess we all long to know where we are in the pecking order.

Welcome to Steemit :)

great post - love the shirt! can I ask where you got it?

Great post, and I love your Austrian School of Economics shirt - I might need one of those, ha!

Thank you! I hear that a lot when I wear that shirt lol

Nice post! I can tell I'll enjoy reading your posts. Also anarcho-rapitalist is awesome

Where can I sign up to volunteer? This seems awfully confusing.

Instructions were not very clear. Dick is stuck in ceiling fan.

Nice to meet you Jared! I have recently started to learn and embrace the true meaning of non-violence in this past year! It's great to see many others who have embraced the true meaning of property rights, self ownership, and the effects it can have on our world if this message is spread far and loud enough!

Hope everything goes great with your music, school, and life as a peaceful voluntaryist!

Thank you! I agree with you. I'm optimistic for the future. The more people are let down by the men and women calling themselves government, the more people will wake up to the fact that it's just a giant Milgram experiment.

Welcome to the party. :)

hehe love the shirt!

Welcome! I'm checking out some of your music now. I like how you start this track "No State Project" with the Marc Stevens sample.

Are you coming down to Anarchapulco next year? You should perform

Hi @jaredhowe. Nice to meet you. I have a devil's advocate question for you. I'm interested in how you'd choose to answer the following:

B violates A's rights by murdering them and taking possession of the house they built and owned. A has no known kin and no representatives interested in challenging B's claim to the house he stole. Assume that if B weren't living in it, it would be abandoned.

Bearing in mind that B has occupied the house and 'mixed his labour' with it in the years following the theft, does B now have the "best link" to the house? If not, why?

Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the welcome and the questions. In short: B doesn't. The purpose of property rights is to avoid the initiation of violence, therefore property title can't be legitimately transferred through the initiation of violence.

A few clarifying questions, though:

  • Why is there an assumption that B wouldn't face any consequences for engaging in murder, trespass or theft?
  • How would murdering and stealing be beneficial for B if B is faced with the prospect of being ostracized or having violence used against himself?
  • How long is that going to last before people take notice and retaliate?
  • Given his demonstrated preference for violence, what expectation would B have that no one would use violence against him? Wouldn't any use of force against B post-murder be retaliatory rather than initiatory?
  • Is B just going to kill people every time he needs something? Wouldn't that create a huge risk of retaliation?
  • If B is so dependent on the labor of others that he thinks he needs to kill someone and steal their house, is B's best choice really to declare war against everyone else?
  • How would B continue to "mix his labor" with the stolen property for years? Wouldn't killing people make homesteading a little too risky? How could he plan for the future if there's always a fear of retaliation?
  • If he was already capable of homesteading and mixing his labor with scarce resources, why did he need to kill anyone in the first place?

I'm not trying to be obtuse; I'm just having a hard time fathoming B's motive and the circumstances in which something like your lifeboat situation could actually happen. Thanks in advance!

Hey, thanks for the response.

The purpose of property rights is to avoid the initiation of violence, therefore property title can't be legitimately transferred through the initiation of violence.

That sounds sensible. Though in this case B could object that it wasn't the violence that triggered the ownership change, but the subsequent use and improvement. Would his objection hold?

I think I agree with what your list of questions implies: that this hypothetical situation is very artificial, unlikely to obtain in the real world - absolutely. I hope you'll excuse me not trying to contrive plausible answers to them!

Nice to see you here Jared!
Upvoting and reading your other posts... Nice stuff. As always.

So nice to see one after another of us Voluntaryists moving our writings from fecesbook to here. =)

People as property.... it's the one thing that sticks out the most because my husband and I always joke that we have ownership papers on each other. It keeps us in line but also gives us permission to enjoy the quirks and oddities which we accept as endearments and off limits to everyone else. :) Welcome to Steemit, @jaredhowe - you're off to a rockin' start!

very interesting story.

Great post. Got a question for you about your ideas as a voluntaryst.

the prospect of regarding people as property, doing so is actually the most humane and moral position as it allows us to most effectively acknowledge and protect the bodily integrity of individuals.

Regarding people as property, would this ideal be upheld morally or lawfully. If your answer is lawfully, what would prevent people from giving consent for them to be owned as property, for X number of years, of some else In a contractual agreement?