ana020: The Power of Place-Based Community | Tim's Freecoast 2018 Speech

Is community compatible with libertarian individualism?

At the Freecoast Festival V in Portsmouth, NH, Tim told the story of how he came to understand the necessity of community in Panama. He discussed:

How community should be understood from the perspective of individualism, and in contrast to collectivism.
Four Bases of Community: People, Place, Profit, and Philosophy
How the Free State Project has unintentionally created an incredibly strong community of libertarians in New Hampshire, and how this community has made liberty possible for each individual.

This episode includes Tim's full speech and a post-game discussion with Tim and Joe.

Download Slideshow as PDF

Use hashtag #ana020 to reference this episode in a tweet, post, or comment. View full show notes at http://anarchitecturepodcast.com/ana020.

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Intro

Freecoast Festival V - Portsmouth, NH, September 7-9th 2018
 Tim has finally figured out how to get a decent live recording. You don't want to know how. It gets weird.

Speech - The Power of Place-Based Community
It Takes a Village

...To Flush a Toilet
Family Travel to Panama
SÁBADO (Saturday)

Couldn't flush the toilet

DOMINGO (Sunday)

Tim plays plumber and fills the tank
"If our water stops working again, we'll know which unmarked pipe at the side of the road to get it from!"
300 Gallons of water... vanished

LUNES (Monday)

Señores,   (Gentlemen,)
mi esposa  (my wife)
en el agua  (in the water)
¡ZAP!  (ZAP)
Sí, electricidad.   (Yes, electricity)
Mucho electricidad.  (A lot of electricity)
En el agua.   (In the water.)

MARTES (Tuesday)

Water spewing out the side of the pump

MIÉRCOLES (Wednesday)

The pump gives up the ghost
Plastic bags and bubble gum

JUEVES (Thursday)

¿El agua es buena? (Is the water good?)
¡Sí, el agua es muy buena! (Yes, the water is very good!)
Bla bla bla el agua (...the water...)
Bla bla bla potable (... potable...)
Bla bla bla la pompa (... the pump...)
Bla bla bla chlorinada. (... chlorinated...)

...Y CADA DIA DESPUES (... and every day after)

Water Delivery Truck

Unlimited supply of water - in trash cans

"That tells you everything you need to know about Panama."

CARNAVAL

Las Tablas - Largest Carnaval celebration in Panama
This wasn't for us - it was for them
This was their culture - timeless and resilient

Individualism | Community

FREEDOM = LIBERTY + POWER

FREEDOM: The ability to act according to your will
LIBERTY: The ability to act without social consequences
POWER: The technical means to act

Robinson Crusoe and Jack Spirko
Community empowers individuals

Knowledge sharing
Division of labor
“Safety net” assistance
Network effects
Power projection

FREEDOM = Individual LIBERTY + Community POWER
Community is not Collectivism

Community is a technical means to satisfying individual needs
Individuals may voluntarily “sacrifice” their individual liberty to participate in a community (in exchange for greater power and freedom)

Collectivism is not community

Individual needs are subverted to the “common good,” which is neither common nor good
Participation is mandatory, not voluntary
Expansion through coercion, not persuasion
Relationships are antagonistic, not cooperative

Individual liberty optimizes community

Liberated individuals make community stronger, and strong communities make us better individuals.

The Evolution of Community

Basis of Community (The 4 P's):

PEOPLE
PLACE
PROFIT
PHILOSOPHY

People-Based Community

Tribal - Nomadic hunter-gatherers
Individuals commit to a community of specific people
Family, friends

Place-Based Community

Agricultural – Cultivation of private property
Individuals commit to a community of people in the place where they live
Neighbors

Profit-Based Community

Industrial – Urban agglomeration
Individuals commit to a community of people who offer economic opportunity
Co-workers, trade partners, business network, socio-economic class, brand loyalty

Philosophy-Based Community

Digital – Decentralization
Individuals commit to a community of people who share their ideas and interests
Deep, meaningful connections with cartoon avatars with fake names

We have rediscovered community, but without the humanity

New Hampshire: Come for the Liberty, Stay for the Community

Freecoast meetup - 20 people plus kids, on a Thursday night
Stories of freecoasters supporting each other.
Community wasn't the original goal of the Free State Project
Individuals came here seeking liberty for themselves, and they chose to come together to form this community.
Evidence that a Libertarian world is a world of voluntary community

Q&A

Were the 5 days with water consecutive?
How can we build multi-generational communities?
Will the slides be online? (Yes - link to the PDF above)

Discussion (0:31:10)

Live on the Freecoast
Liberty Mugs!

The way you feel about Trump voters is the way I feel about ALL voters
Smug condescension never tasted better

Freecoast Festival Summary

The Praxeum - Freecoasters have purchased a function hall
Speakers

Mary Ruwart
Radley Balko
Naomi Brockwell
Professor CJ Kilmer (no relation to Val as far as we know)

Joe is OG with the DHP
Podcast tip #1: Actually produce podcast episodes

Portsmouth Harbor Cruise - Whales everywhere
Tim judged "The Porcupine Den"

"The Canna-bus"
Naomi Brockwell - the other Australian libertarian
To win Tim over, rekindle his flame for dance

Tim meets his heroes

Gardner Goldsmith
Mary Ruwart - Healing Our World

Are Libertarians Ideologues or Pragmatists?
Even Ayn Rand's heroes formed communities
Having friends doesn't make you a commie
The important distinction between community and collectivism

The key word is "Voluntary"

Employment - a more structured and demanding form of community
Reviewing the 4 P's

Strong communities have all 4 P's in effect - they are self-reinforcing

The effect of infrastructure on community

Reliable infrastructure reduces the need for a strong community
Government has taken the mantle of community

Examples of Free State Project successes

Taylor and James Davis - One Free Family- Podcast on Homeschooling/Unschooling
The Free State Bitcoin Shoppe - The World Famous Bitcoin Tour
Emily Smith - Bardo Farms and Liberty Markets
Political support - 45 Free Staters have been elected to office in NH
Derrick J Freeman - "Derrick J's Victimless Crime Spree"

All of these things are happening because of the community they've built here

Links/Resources

Download Slideshow as PDF

The Freecoast
Freecoast Festival V - schedule and speakers
Human Action Foundation (organizer of the Freecoast Festival)
ana006: Citizen of Nowhere | Part 1: Tim's Abroad Life
Everything you need to know about Panama
Carnavales in Las Tablas
Carnavales floats and queens
Carnavales dancers - Skip to 10:30 in the video to see what Tim saw
Jack Spirko - The Survival Podcast
Free State Project
Jason Sorens - History of FSP, 2001 FSP Essay, Follow-up Essay
Liberty Mugs
The Praxeum
Mary Ruwart - Healing Our World
Radley Balko
Naomi Brockwell
Professor CJ Kilmer - Dangerous History Podcast
Gardner Goldsmith
Taylor and James Davis - One Free Family
The Free State Bitcoin Shoppe
The World Famous Bitcoin Village Tour
Emily Smith - Bardo Farm
Derrick J's Victimless Crime Spree