Author: Brandon Christensen

Nightcap

Brandon Christensen Links , , ,
  1. On Scialabba’s How to be Depressed Morten Høi Jensen, American Interest
  2. More on the Jersey surge (philosophy and journalism) Irfan Khawaja, Policy of Truth
  3. Big government is not the solution, it’s the problem Scott Sumner, EconLog
  4. The future that we won’t have (bitter) Arnold Kling, askblog

Be Our Guest (Sunday Poetry): “The Tyrant’s Burden”

Brandon Christensen Culture, Current Events , , , , ,

Our latest Be Our Guest post comes from poet N.D.Y. Romanfort, and it’s great. So great, in fact, that I’m taking liberties in regards to Alex’s “Sunday Poetry” series and sharing Romanfort’s poem today. An excerpt:

Shoulder the Tyrant’s Burden-
Yield to “expert” decree-
3 Lettered Health Institutes
Control mind and body-
Free thinking doctors? They’re called
Medical Heretics-
Big Tech will silence their noise,
Thus, public thought is fixed.

Please, read the rest. And if you’ve got something to say and no place to say it, Be Our Guest.

Nightcap

Brandon Christensen Links , , ,
  1. The separate worlds of Covid-19 Leah Windsor, Duck of Minerva
  2. Whose freedom? Anti-lockdown protests Dahlia Lithwick, Slate
  3. The glory—and risk—of cities Joel Kotkin, City Journal
  4. Still don’t believe in aliens? Robin Hanson, Overcoming Bias

Nightcap

Brandon Christensen Links , , ,
  1. When do emergency measures turn into dangerous government overreach? Jonathan Wolff, Times Literary Supplement
  2. A philosophy of fear – and a society of scolds Daniel McCarthy, Modern Age
  3. The perils of lockdown living Sayed Kashua, New York Review of Books
  4. It’s time to take UFOs seriously Alexander Wendt (interview), Vox

Nightcap

Brandon Christensen Links , , ,
  1. Too soon for a coronavirus commission Erik Dahl, Duck of Minerva
  2. What will become of Europe? Carson Holloway, Law & Liberty
  3. Literature and inequality Branko Milanovic, globalinequality
  4. Technocrats and class Chris Dillow, Stumbling & Mumbling

Nightcap

Brandon Christensen Links , , ,
  1. Parks and privilege in New Jersey (coronavirus) Irfan Khawaja, Policy of Truth
  2. Freedom, lockdown, and COVID-19 Chris Bertram, Crooked Timber
  3. Prudence and pandemics Mark Helprin, Claremont Review of Books
  4. The long shadow of cultural anthropology Jennifer Wilson, the Nation

Nightcap

Brandon Christensen Links , , ,
  1. A tale of two lockdowns Mick Hartley, Politics and Culture
  2. Who is the “public” in “public choice”? Henry Farrell, Crooked Timber
  3. Machiavelli and his enduring appeal Tony Barber, Financial Times
  4. The economist who thought too fast Anthony Gottlieb, New Yorker

Nightcap

Brandon Christensen Links , , ,
  1. Is it time to carve up Libya? (2020) Ted Galen Carpenter, TAC
  2. Notes from Libya (2012) Brandon Christensen, NOL
  3. Gouge is good Bryan Caplan, EconLog
  4. Internationalism without federation (pay your tithes) Maria Ferrell, Equality

Nightcap

Brandon Christensen Links , , ,
  1. Coronavirus and uncomfortable truths about Japan Philip Patrick, Spectator
  2. Love in the Time of Capitalism Dan Hassler-Forest, LARB
  3. Sunday morning quarterbacking Scott Sumner, MoneyIllusion
  4. Good things (leaving words out) Stephen Cox, Liberty

First Contact, libertarianism, and astropolitics

Brandon Christensen Culture , , , , ,

Permit me to speculate.

Earth is currently composed of 193 or 195 states, depending on who you ask. There are several more states that have an ambiguous status within the world order. Of these states, dozens have bureaucracies dedicated to scientific research in outer space.

Now suppose there is life on a planet close to ours, say on Proxima centauri b, and suppose further that the life there harbors an intelligence that mirrors our own.

How many countries would be on Proxima centauri b? Given how difficult it has been here on Earth to establish global dominance, I have to assume that the same difficulties face other extraterrestrial life in nearby star systems. I assume this because if they haven’t been able to contact us, or are unable to contact us, they are likely on the same playing field as us when it comes to intelligence.

What if the United States or its much more libertarian successor, the Federation of Free States, allies with a country on Proxima centauri b, while China allies itself with another country on proxima centauri b and Russia allies itself with a third Centaurian country?

I think this would be the most realistic scenario for First Contact. If there are species out there with higher intelligence and better technology, I don’t think they would even bother with us or with the Centaurians, not even if they needed our help. Would we, as humans, ask for the help of baboons if we were stranded in the desert with a broken arm? Have we ever thought it necessary to eliminate another species simply because it existed or even because it might pose a future threat? I think those of us who can achieve the same type of reasoning based on the same limited cognitive ability of our brains will be brought together in our section of the Milky Way.

Basically, I think when First Contact happens, it will be the same ol’ geopolitics playing out, but instead of being geopolitics it will be astropolitics. All the more reason for libertarians to eschew unilateralism in favor of federation.

Cixin Lui’s trilogy has been on my mind, as has Neill Blomkamp’s short film Rakka.

Nightcap

Brandon Christensen Links , , ,
  1. Collecting the dreams of imperial subjects Erik Linstrum, Aeon
  2. On NATO’s open door policy Emma Ashford, War on the Rocks
  3. Stalin’s Danish mystery Caroline Kennedy-Pipe, History Today
  4. Taleb’s distinction between “complicated” and “complex” Mark Cancellieri, askblog (comments)

Nightcap

Brandon Christensen Links , , ,
  1. China’s race to find aliens first Ross Anderson, Atlantic
  2. What happens if China makes first contact? Abhijnan Rej, Diplomat
  3. Is coronavirus a preview of alien life reaching earth? Jeffrey Kluger, Time
  4. A beautiful photo essay of some old, abandoned airplanes Zero Anthropology

Be Our Guest: “Resolved: Human Government is Despotism”

Brandon Christensen Philosophy , , , ,

Jack Curtis is back with another guest post, this time on despotism. Here’s a sneak peak:

All human government is to some degree despotic; if it were not there would be no need for organized force. The more realistic issue seems to be: How much despotism should be tolerated in return for the benefits of human organization? And, with homo sapiens involved, that depends upon whom you ask.

Read the rest. It’s excellent, as usual. If you’ve got something to say, and nowhere to say it, why not Be Our Guest?

Nightcap

Brandon Christensen Links , , ,
  1. The family Coronavirinae Marc Henry, Inference
  2. “Physical distancing” versus “social distancing” Irfan Khawaja, Policy of Truth
  3. Avoidable unemployment Chris Dillow, Stumbling & Mumbling
  4. Connecting fascism with Integralism is a historical mistake Nathan Pinkoski, Law & Liberty

Nightcap

Brandon Christensen Links , , ,
  1. Permutations on Ernst Bloch’s “S is not yet P” Nick Nielsen, Grand Strategy Annex
  2. “‘Emergencies’ have always been the pretext …” Peter Boettke, Coordination Problem
  3. The Villager And The F-18 Deep Prasad, Medium
  4. Neill Blomkamp’s experimental film studio is AWESOME Andrew Liptak, Verge