Thoughts on Stefan Molyneux and FDR

Originally posted on mises.org:

Molyneux is an excellent communicator of libertarian ideas; there can be little doubt about that, with great videos like this and this.  I check in at the FDR forums occasionally to see what's going on there.  It used to be more academic and focussed on philosophy and law and anarchy theories and so on, but discussion has shifted towards mainly threads on parenting, personal relationships, and people seeking advice about recovering from the effects of having had "abusive" (in the extremely broad sense used on FDR) parents.  There is a strong sense of community at FDR, especially since this shift took place.

Whether they are a cult depends on your definition of the word, but I do see Molyneux and the Freedomainers sharing many similarities to Rand and the Randians.  I think some of what Murray Rothbard said about the latter applies to them.  In addition to the Molyneux Revealed site, there is also FDR Liberated if you want to read more about the cult angle.

With regard to Ron Paul, I disagree with Molyneux.  Most of his criticisms of Paul fade away when you realise that Paul's primary goal is spreading the libertarian message, and being in office and running for President was for him purely a means or strategy for doing that effectively - for better or worse.  Molyneux is wrong to conflate Paul's strategy (i.e. Rothbard and Rockwell's strategy) with the flawed strategy of 'dismantling the state from the inside', which is what basically all so-called "libertarian" politicians that aren't Ron Paul are trying to do.  Whether Paul's strategy or Molyneux' strategy has been or is going to be more effective at spreading the message of liberty is an interesting debate to have, but Molyneux never really gets round to that debate, because he never addresses Paul's actual strategy, just a strawman version of it.

Walter Block made some negative and entirely unjustified remarks about Molyneux recently.  And David Gordon critiqued Molyneux' UPB, quite reasonably.  I expect these events left some Freedomainers with a dislike of mises.org (see threads here and here).  But I think it's extremely unlikely you were not allowed to join the FDR forum just because you mentioned mises.org.  The knowledgable posters there link to mises.org quite often.  Have you tried joining again or emailing for an explanation?

Ten Reasons Not To Abolish Slavery (by Robert Higgs)

Some of these may sound familiar...

An Open Letter to the Peace Movement (by Roderick Long)

A consistent peace activist must be an anarchist. If you love peace, work for anarchy.

Totalitarian Communism in Münster (by Murray Rothbard)

Death on the NHS: The Failure of Socialised Healthcare

Economics tells us that monopolised healthcare is a bad idea.  Here are some of the predictable results of monopolised healthcare in the UK.

2012

Patients starve and die of thirst on hospital wards (6 Oct 2012)

You must go blind in one eye before NHS will treat you (30 Jun 2012)

Sentenced to death for being old: The NHS denies life-saving treatment to the elderly, as one man's chilling story reveals (7 Apr 2012)

Top doctor's chilling claim: The NHS kills off 130,000 elderly patients every year (20 Jun 2012)

Elderly patients are being 'deprived of food and drink so they die quicker and free up bed space', claim doctors (9 Jul 2012)

Hundreds die from strokes at weekends because of poorer NHS care: study (9 Jul 2012)

Patients starve and die of thirst on hospital wards (6 Oct 2012)

Now sick babies go on death pathway: Doctor's haunting testimony reveals how children are put on end-of-life plan (29 Nov 2012)

2011

UK surgeons raise the alarm on waiting lists (5 Apr 2011)

NHS Director dies on due to waiting list at hospital she oversaw (31 Mar 2011)

NHS providing substandard care to seniors (14 Feb 2011)

Maternity care on verge of breakdown in UK (1 Jan 2011)

Man turned away from hospital 4 times, left to die (16 Mar 2011)
Nurse arrested over hospital sabotage murder (20 Jul 2011)
Surgeons raise alarm over waiting (5 Apr 2011)

Former NHS director dies after operation is cancelled four times at her own hospital (31 Mar 2011)

UK student died after wait for treatment outside of hospital (14 Feb 2011)

NHS budget squeeze to blame for longer waiting times, say doctors (19 May 2011)

Two patients died after waiting in ambulance outside 'full' Oldham hospital unit (21 May 2011)

Hospital Slammed After Mum And Newborn Die (16 Jun 2011)

NHS rations knee and hip replacement operations to save money (28 Jul 2011)

2010

Sick Americans live as long as health British (3 Nov 2010)

Lack of drug availability endangers preemies (1 Oct 2010)

Frail elderly patients 'left to starve in hospitals', admit more than two-thirds of NHS nurses (30 Aug 10)

NHS to make cuts to basic services (24 Jul 10) (24 Jul 2010)

Cash Crisis In UK leaves patients without beds (18 Jul 10) (18 Jul 2010)

Thousands denied routine cancer drug in UK (6 May 10) (6 May 2010) 

NHS blunder changed organ donors' wishes (11 Apr 10) (11 Apr 2010)

Delays increase due to funding crisis in UK (3/20/10) (20 Mar 2010)
A quarter of NHS hospitals fail to meet basic hygiene standards (3/19/10): (19 Mar 2010)
UK Woman denied lifesaving surgery for living two streets away (4/21/10) (21 Apr 2010)
8 year old boy dies in UK after being refused an ambulance (4/23/10) (23 Apr 2010)

2009 
British newspaper reports on serious persistent shortages (26 Aug 2009)
British newspaper reports on a study of substandard care throughout the UK (27 Aug 2009)
British report on denial of life-saving drugs (29 Apr 2009)
British children going to hospital instead of dentist due to shortages (12 Apr 2009)
Scotland has long delays in cancer treatment (21 Mar 2009)
Emergency care inadequate in UK (17 Mar 2009)
Children in UK wait up to two years for a wheelchair (4 Mar 2009)
Sentenced to death on the NHS (2 Sep 2009)
Woman gives birth on pavement 'after being refused ambulance' (17 Aug 2009)
'Cruel and neglectful' care of one million NHS patients exposed (27 Aug 2009)
The babies born in hospital corridors: Bed shortage forces 4,000 mothers to give birth in lifts, offices and hospital toilets (26 Aug 2009)
Over 45,000 NHS staff call in sick each day (19 Aug 2009)

2008 
Less than 10% of UK hospitals tested passed basic hygiene rules (24 Nov 2008)
A report on worldwide deficiencies in countries with socialized care (18 Mar 2008) 
Elderly Patients Being 'Written Off' in UK (7 Jul 2008)
NHS accused of 17,000 unnecessary deaths (18 Jan 2008)