We are developing the social individualist meta-context for the future. From the very serious to the extremely frivolous... lets see what is on the mind of the Samizdata people.

Samizdata, derived from Samizdat /n. - a system of clandestine publication of banned literature in the USSR [Russ.,= self-publishing house]

Samizdata quote of the day

Musk’s act qualified as economic civil disobedience, especially since he expressly offered himself up for arrest and punishment. His ultimate success was a testament to the power of that peaceful strategy for political change. The government probably wanted to avoid the public controversy that would result from jailing someone like Musk.

Dan Sanchez

Samizdata quote of the day

“The humanist ethic begins with the belief that humans are an essential part of nature. Humans have the right and the duty to reconstruct nature so that humans and biosphere can both survive and prosper. For humanists, the highest value is harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.”

– Freeman Dyson, the great scientist and futurist who died recently. As quoted in this fine article over at National Review, by Robert Bryce.

Dyson did not buy global warming alarmism, which must have given many in the government-funded science establishment the vapours, (excuse the pun).

Samizdata quote of the day

To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker.

– Frederick Douglass

Samizdata quote of the day

The simplest explanation for modern academics’ hostility to 21st century capitalism’s “structures of power” is their complete exclusion from them.

T. Greer, from ‘History is written by the losers’.

Samizdata quote of the day

The only thing I want a war on is a war on government wars.

Hector Dummond

Samizdata quote of the day

No country has ever improved the health of its population by making itself poorer.

Dr John Lee.

Samizdata quote of the day

Good quality housing only seems less available now to people who pretend the housing stock is the same and household size is the same.

Fifty years ago large families crammed into small leaky houses. Nowadays half as many live in the renovated versions of those houses. With decent plumbing etc.

We frequently blow up fifty year old tower blocks because they are considered sub-standard.

– the delightfully named Chester Draws

Samizdata quote of the day

“Yeah, the reason the speaker can’t come here is because he promotes violence – by us, his enemies.”

Robert Murphy

Quoted by David Thompson.

Samizdata quote of the day

“Turning ourselves into China for any reason is the definition of a cure being worse than the disease. The scolders who are being seduced by such thinking have to wake up, before we end up adding another disaster on top of the terrible one we’re already facing.”

Matt Taibbi

The whole essay will, I bet, resonate with all you freedom lovers in the comments.

Samizdata quote of the day

[Judge-only trials] also misses the actual point of a jury. We might think they’re there to evaluate evidence, decide what is right or wrong, to decide upon guilt of the accused. But they’re not. They’re there to decide whether a crime has been committed. Which includes telling the law, the judge, the politicians and the entire system to bugger off as and when 12 good men and true decide that this isn’t a crime.

Sure, the British legal system absolutely hates any mention of jury nullification. But that is what they’re actually there for. Which is why we shouldn’t do away with them.

Tim Worstall

Samizdata quote of the day

Most white people (& indeed most people) aren’t obsessed with race. That is why the Identitarian obsession with racial taxonomies, and labelling everyone, just makes such folk seem like drunks peeing on a public sidewalk who then become indignant when others look at them askance.

– Perry de Havilland

Samizdata quote of the day

If no one will buy this oil then why is there a market price for it? And why are there transactions occurring at this market price?

We can go further. This oil is owned by someone. That means someone has bought it.

It’s entirely true that some of this oil – say maturing futures at Cushing – has a negative price. But that’s just an annoying market price, not the absence of a market nor a lack of a price at which someone will buy it.

Tim Worstall