And I like Hoppe:
quoting note16ms…l068Another review for #bookstr, this time a Hans-Hermann Hoppe classic.
Nothing groundbreaking if you’re familiar with libertarian literature but I did particularly enjoy his critique of Conservatism.
I’ve long said that Western Liberal Democracy is a choice between Socialists in Red ties and in Blue ties.
Hoppe puts real meat on that bone by articulating how the Overton window is constantly dragged left by Progressive ideology, kind of like Yarvin’s idea that “Cthulhu always swims left”, but Hoppe really gets to the nub of it and did so 30 years prior. Thus Conservatives are after a short time left conserving previously progressive ideas as the social consensus moves further and further left as progressive wins become normalised. This is how you end up with a right wing introducing same sex marriage, pursuing net zero goals, or who see no problem with people being taxed 50% and only offer the most marginal changes to the system which all result in more centralised control any way.
Also an interesting book if you’ve considered the critique of Libertarianism that pure freedom is at odds with social cohesion which is something I’ve been thinking about a lot more, having seen my own culture completely degraded (not by libertarianism per se but nonetheless), and now living in another culture which is much more coherent and functional.
Hoppe is a fantastic writer, his dry German wit and logical constructs are like mainlining Mises after he has been stomped on 😂 I did enjoy this one, and would recommend it more in the primer category for people wanting to understand these concepts.
Jeff Deist outside of his self-interested goldbugism is the closest from the Mises Institute alum to get it; Tho and McMaken aren’t far away but none of them have taken this leap.
You should start here:
quoting note1nuw…talkMy latest review for #bookstr is The Populist Delusion by Neema Parvini (also known as Academic Agent on Xitter).
I’ve been interested in Elite Theory for a while and began reading Burnham, then Mosca, and Michels, after reading The Prince by Machiavelli before the interest formed.
Should have started with this book before going deep!
It’s a condensed primer which takes those major works plus Pareto, Carl Schmitt, and Sam Francis, and condenses the core concepts and contributions into a single, easy to grasp volume, of just 144 pages.
If you want to understand how power actually works; this is a great place to start.
Parvini is able to, somewhat like Francis, use the benefit of decades of hindsight in explaining the managerial takeover of power by drawing on these works and showing how it is wielded in the modern context.
It helps explain globohomo, DEI, corporatism, touches Zionism, and how the current elites are trying to maintain control and where the chinks in the armour are.
More Bitcoiners should study Elite Theory and get beyond ancap ideology because a time is coming when they will be the new counter-elite whether they want it or not; understanding real world power dynamics could be crucial to survival.
It’s like Per’s book - a proper primer on what you’re getting in to. Everything else will make more sense with such a foundation.
Elite Theory says we have elites regardless. Either you have a State which announces itself; or you get a Mafia like Sicily or Cartels like Mexico, but there is never a vacuum of power; someone will take that power and do what they want with it if not challenged.
This isn’t a Mike Brock bullshit “I reject ancap theory and am now a liberal again” - it’s much deeper than that.
Encourage you to have a look.