Welcome to my website.
Who am I?
Just a man.
And a husband.
And a father of 3.
Also a writer.
And a podcaster. (Schedule a chat.)
Sometimes a web designer.
But always a seeker of riches.
And the richness of life.
Explore what I do or have done in the menu above. (CV)
Contact me if you please.
My Latest Content 
- ARK3 Returns, Pessimism, US Capitol Building, & Bureaucratic Character (1h3m) – Episode 456
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Episode 456 welcomes back Alex R. Knight III to the podcast to chat with Skyler on the following topics: pessimism about the future of America; the display of dominance by the corrupt left over Trump for 4 years; the press revealing their strong leftist bias by going silent now that the Presidency is in Democratic hands; Twitter as Establishment, not radical left; Stefan Molyneux; the justice in destroying the US Capitol building (a monument to slavery and continual oppression); a thought experiment on acquitting an unpopular defendant even when widespread riots are guaranteed; politicians and bureaucrats being put under oath and having their claims cross-examined; the fact that government actors have no skin in the game of interfering with our lives; the character flaw that is allowing yourself to assume authority over others without liability (immunity); talking to cops about why they became cops and seeing how far they’ve been corrupted away from those probably noble reasons; normalizing adult drug use, such as is Dr. Carl Hart on Rogan and Reason podcasts; and more.
Podcast: “Carl Hart: Drug Use for Grown-Ups” by Reason Interview
Listen to Episode 456 (1h3m, mp3, 64kbps)
Subscribe via RSS here, or in any podcast app by searching for “everything voluntary”. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/evc.
Other podcasts: “Thinking & Doing“, “Voluntaryist Voices”
Referral links: Tom Wood’s Liberty Classroom, Ron Paul’s Homeschool Curriculum, Amazon Shopping
- Sweating the Small Stuff & Influencing Others (22m) – Episode 057
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Episode 057 looks at two Stoic topics: the first from Marcus Aurelius who wrote, “It is essential for you to remember that the attention you give to any action should be in due proportion to its worth, for then you won’t tire and give up, if you aren’t busying yourself with lesser things beyond what should be allowed.”; and the second from r/Stoicism, a post by EricHennigan, which started, “I was thinking about Epictetus’ reminder that some things are under our control and others not. If we push this idea really hard, there are many things that I might naively consider under my control, but which, when examined more closely are not. For example, thoughts randomly bubble into my mind and I do not control that. Emotions can overwhelm my rational faculties, causing me a temporary insanity. Many external factors control the direction of my life. The simple, naive, lowercase stoic advice seems to recommend that I not try to control things which I cannot. I think this interpretation would be a disastrous mistake.”
Listen to Episode (22m, mp3, 64kbps)
Subscribe via RSS here, or in any podcast app by searching for “thinking and doing”. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/evc or PayPal.me/everythingvoluntary.
Other podcasts: “Everything Voluntary“, “Voluntaryist Voices”
Referral links: Tom Wood’s Liberty Classroom, Ron Paul’s Homeschool Curriculum, Amazon Shopping
- MLK, Jr.’s Libertarian Movement, Labor Day, Spanking, & the Social Contract (28m) – Episode 455
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Episode 455 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following topics: why Martin Luther King, Jr. and the fight for civil rights was a libertarian movement; where wages came from and why they have been a blessing for humanity; why spanking is unintelligent, lazy, selfish, and unnecessary; and the central problem in social contract theory and a more accurate way to formulate it (as a peace treaty in a threat game).
Book: No Hitting!: A Short Guide on Why Spanking is Unnecessary by Skyler J. Collins
Listen to Episode 455 (28m, mp3, 64kbps)
Subscribe via RSS here, or in any podcast app by searching for “everything voluntary”. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/evc.
Other podcasts: “Thinking & Doing“, “Voluntaryist Voices”
Referral links: Tom Wood’s Liberty Classroom, Ron Paul’s Homeschool Curriculum, Amazon Shopping
- Intellectual Property: Skyler J. Collins vs. Alex R. Knight III
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
I had a little back and forth in the comment section on one of my recent podcast episodes with my friend Alex Knight (ARK3). I thought I’d reproduce it here in all it’s glory. First listen to Episode 453 of “Everything Voluntary” for my thoughts on patent and copyright as it relates to Facebook being fined by the Italian government for copying a competitors’ software features. Within those thoughts I referenced some of Alex’s views on the topic.
ARK3: As I stated in our conversation (Episode 384), I don’t think “you” (anyone but the creator, or someone they knowingly and willingly license) should be able to do anything with Spider-Man. Anyone should be able to — and can — create an original superhero…which then becomes that person’s property. (An article by Alex on intellectual property: http://strike-the-root.com/intellectual-property-and-liberty)
Skyler: Right, sorry if I wasn’t clear on what you said. From your article:
To be more direct, ‘patent’ seeks to forever insulate the originator of an overall idea from any and all forms of competition, improvement, or innovation. Whereas ‘copyright’ seeks only protections and exclusivity for the creator of a certain unique version of an idea. One cannot ‘patent,’ thus, the wheel. But Good Year, Michelin, Pirelli, and a thousand or more other companies may ‘copyright’ their modern versions of it.
How about: “One cannot ‘copyright’ Spider-Man. But Marvel, DC, MadeupnameA, and a thousand more companies may ‘copyright’ their versions of Spider-Man.
What’s the difference? Both patents and copyrights create a monopoly use on a particular pattern of information, of knowledge. I fail to see the distinction, but I’m willing to come part way to protecting specific implementations of “the wheel” and “Spider-Man”, but not as general ideas. “Spider-Man” can be as general as “superhero” if we imagine a million versions of Spider-Man. I think that would be progress from the current position worldwide.
ARK3: I think your interpretation of what constitutes a sufficiently “unique” version might be far more liberalized than my own.
This is why private adjudication would be so vital in a truly free-market system of “copyright”: There would need to be, I think, more or less commonly accepted standards in terms of what constituted a sufficiently original iteration of X, Y, or Z in such arrangements. This would, no doubt, keep the PROs (problem resolution organizations) very busy (more overhead for inventors, more commerce for PROs), but I still see that as far preferable to the communistic alternative where everyone’s idea automatically becomes everyone else’s property. In fact, as I believe I stated at the time in your podcast, I feel such a “copyright” system is a necessary element of a capitalistic society in general.Skyler: Even Marvel has 2 versions of Spider-Man, and DC 2 versions of Batman these days.
I still see that as far preferable to the communistic alternative where everyone’s idea automatically becomes everyone else’s property.
That’s the issue, if ideas aren’t subject to property rights (originally constructed to deal with scarcity, which ideas are immune from), then it’s no one’s “property”.
ARK3: Marvel and DC have the right to produce as many versions of their own characters/property as they care to. No one else does, or should, without specific license to do so from those owners.
I disagree that ideas are not scarce (especially really good ones) — many, if not most of them are, in fact, absolutely unique in their specificities. That is not inconsequential. At any event, to communize ideas is not conducive to the sustenance of a capitalistic society. Except, perhaps, in instances where the originator specifically chooses to make their ideas public property. Which remains comparatively rare, of course, in any environment in which there is a potential for profit (as there should always be in such cases).
Skyler: Inventive and innovative people are scarce. But ideas are not. Every person in existence can use an idea at the same time without interfering with anyone else’s use. Ergo, non-scarce. And not true for, say, some particular acre of land, or some particular automobile. Physical reality entails scarcity, and scarcity entails the possibility of conflict. There is no conflict when two or more people use the same idea simultaneously. And we could probably go on forever debating this…
Real property rights and intellectual property rights cannot coexist, in my opinion. One must take supremacy, and here’s why: We can’t both use my car at the same time. We can both use your idea at the same time. If I don’t allow you to use my car, I have not interfered with your use of any of your real property. If you don’t want me to use your idea, you have interfered with my use of my real property. My property right in my car does not affect your or your property. Your property right in your idea does affect me and my property. My owning my car does not interfere with you, but you owning your idea does interfere with me. Ergo, intellectual property rights trump real property rights. I believe this is how Ayn Rand saw it. Taken to it’s logical conclusion, there would be zero competition in the production of any and every idea created by man. Since everything is a remix of something prior (truly), everyone is violating someone’s IP rights in everything they create. Markets simply couldn’t exist if intellectual property rights were given their due.
ARK3:
If you don’t want me to use your idea, you have interfered with my use of my real property.
I think this is crux of where we disagree, and I do not agree whatsoever with that premise, nor do I agree with the idea that there must be either “real” property, or IP. The two can, and do, coexist — albeit better within free-market “law” as opposed to government.
The suggestion that preventing you from using my specific iteration of an idea is “restricting” you and use of your property is no different than suggesting that disallowing you to have a party on my front lawn, free of charge, is somehow oppressive. Yes, I know — my yard is “real,” and what’s in my mind “isn’t.” I think that’s very, very wrong. You’re essentially saying my emotions, my thoughts are not mine. Ideas possess even greater agency since they are the starting point of bringing material things into the physical world — all the more reason to treat them as property!
I don’t think we’re ever going to see eye to eye on this point of contention. I can only end by saying that even the State-sanctioned version of “copyright” is preferable to the inherently communistic view you’ve taken.
Skyler:
albeit better within free-market ‘law’ as opposed to government.
We can agree here. The market, competitive dispute resolution services, should handle this. I believe IP will be resolved out of existence this way, but that’s just my guess.
The suggestion that preventing you from using my specific iteration of an idea is ‘restricting’ you and use of your property is no different than suggesting that disallowing you to have a party on my front lawn, free of charge, is somehow oppressive.
There’s only one front lawn. We can’t use it at the same time. That scarcity necessarily entails the possibility of conflict, hence the construction of property rights to assign ownership and prevent conflict.
An idea is not limited in this way. Everyone can use it at the same time. That lack of scarcity necessarily entails the impossibility of conflict, hence the construction of property rights to assign ownership would be an artificial creation of scarcity were none naturally existed, hence the artificial creation of the possibility of conflict. Property rights were constructed to reduce conflict over scarce resources and IP rights were constructed to increase conflict over non-scarce resources. Which is more libertarian, moving toward peace, or away from it?
You’re essentially saying my emotions, my thoughts are not mine.
Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. You have emotions and you have thoughts. They are not subject to property rights. Your body, however, is, because it is a scarce resource and we may disagree on how you should use it. People see “yours” and “mine” and think property rights. This is a mistake, and a limitation of the English language. Your girlfriend is not your property. Neither is your reputation. Nor is your weariness with this conversation.
the inherently communistic view you’ve taken.
This is a nonsensical statement. “Communistic” implies scarce resources. Idea are not a scarce resource. They cannot be “communistic” nor “capitalistic”. They just are.
ARK3: I think private adjudication will perform the direct opposite way, and strengthen IP. You are correct, however, in that this is just a guess — and one which will probably remain purely academic during our lifetimes.
Yes we can use the same thoughts at the same time, unlike a car or a house, or my yard — but if you are profiting from my thoughts, my ideas, then I say you should not be permitted to do so. Not any more than you should be able to commandeer any of those other things without my express permission.
We’re not talking semantics here — “my” girlfriend, “my” reputation. I contend that thoughts, emotions, ideas are things, are property in spite of their uniquely intractable nature.
Ideas are not only scarce — they are unique to each individual. Each iteration of such bears the stamp of my own unique vision, intelligence, psychology. No one is or should be at liberty to usurp that and profit thereby.
I can see we’re going to continue to disagree here. And in the libertarian camp, this debate will continue ad infinitum.
- Section 230, Amazon and Parler, Caveat Emptor, Contracts, & Alternatives (41m) – Episode 454
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Episode 454 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following topics: Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 and what is and is not libertarian about it; Amazon Web Services cancelling their contract with social media platform Parler without the contractually specified notice of 30 days; what should happen to contracts in the future; examining our dependencies and building alternatives; and more.
Wikipedia: Section 230
Podcast: “Tech Censorship And Independent Media, with Glenn Greenwald and the CEOs of Parler and Substack | Ep. 50” by The Megyn Kelly Show
Website: AlternativeTo.netListen to Episode 454 (41m, mp3, 64kbps)
Subscribe via RSS here, or in any podcast app by searching for “everything voluntary”. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/evc.
Other podcasts: “Thinking & Doing“, “Voluntaryist Voices”
Referral links: Tom Wood’s Liberty Classroom, Ron Paul’s Homeschool Curriculum, Amazon Shopping
- Affirming the Consequent & Primacy and Recency Effects (15m) – Episode 056
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Episode 056 looks at Affirming the Consequent logical fallacy and the cognitive biases Primacy Effect and Recency Effect.
Listen to Episode 056 (15m, mp3, 64kbps)
Subscribe via RSS here, or in any podcast app by searching for “thinking and doing”. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/evc or PayPal.me/everythingvoluntary.
Other podcasts: “Everything Voluntary“, “Voluntaryist Voices”
Referral links: Tom Wood’s Liberty Classroom, Ron Paul’s Homeschool Curriculum, Amazon Shopping
- Apartheid Israel, Facebook Italy Fine, Seizing Sammiches, & Pakistan Blasphemy Executions (32m) – Episode 453
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Episode 453 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following news stories: from APNews.com, “Leading human rights group calls Israel an ‘apartheid’ state“; from TheRegister.com, “Facebook appeals ruling that it stole tech. So, Italian judge issues new judgment: Pay 10 times the original fine“; from TheGuardian.com, “Dutch officials seize ham sandwiches of drivers arriving from UK“; and from AlJazeera.com, “Pakistan court sentences three to death for blasphemy“.
Website: Ideas Beyond Borders
Listen to Episode 453 (32m, mp3, 64kbps)
Subscribe via RSS here, or in any podcast app by searching for “everything voluntary”. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/evc.
Other podcasts: “Thinking & Doing“, “Voluntaryist Voices”
Referral links: Tom Wood’s Liberty Classroom, Ron Paul’s Homeschool Curriculum, Amazon Shopping
- Building Alternative Institutions, Enforcing the NAP, Taxation, & Simple Libertarianism (26m) – Episode 452
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Episode 452 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following questions from Quora: he starts the episode with a complaint against Quora for banning it’s most prolific author, Dennis Pratt; “How do Libertarians intend to implement/enforce the NAP?”; “Libertarians, what do you make of the argument that taxation isn’t theft because you are able to choose your representatives, so either choose ones that disagree with taxation as well or start your own political party?”; and “What is a simple explanation of libertarianism?”
Listen to Episode 452 (26m, mp3, 64kbps)
Subscribe via RSS here, or in any podcast app by searching for “everything voluntary”. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/evc.
Other podcasts: “Thinking & Doing“, “Voluntaryist Voices”
Referral links: Tom Wood’s Liberty Classroom, Ron Paul’s Homeschool Curriculum, Amazon Shopping
- Tidy Home, Conspiracy Theorists, Anticipation and Happiness, & Steelmanning (21m) – Episode 055
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Episode 055 looks at keeping a tidy room (and home) by removing one or two items that don’t belong every time you leave; asking someone to explain their conspiracy theory in detail in order for them to see its holes themselves; the difference between excitement from anticipation and your long-term happiness; and the value in asking your discussion or debate partner to explain the other side as well as they can (steelmanning).
Listen to Episode 055 (21m, mp3, 64kbps)
Subscribe via RSS here, or in any podcast app by searching for “thinking and doing”. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/evc or PayPal.me/everythingvoluntary.
Other podcasts: “Everything Voluntary“, “Voluntaryist Voices”
Referral links: Tom Wood’s Liberty Classroom, Ron Paul’s Homeschool Curriculum, Amazon Shopping
- Shepard Returns, Redneck Hooligans, Humor, Propaganda, & Prison (1h3m) – Episode 451
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Episode 451 welcomes back Shepard the Voluntaryist to chat with Skyler on the following topics: sitting on the sideline during political uncertainty; trying on different colored glasses to see the world more clearly; JP Sears success and using comedy to fight the state; Washington DC redneck hooliganism; the outpouring of propaganda through 2020 and 2021; uncontrolled kids becoming uncontrollable adults and untraumatized kids becoming peaceful adults; making peace with going to prison for frivolous and arbitrary reasons; defending yourself with surety bonds, challenging jurisdiction, petroleum jelly, or whatever you can to stop their attack on your peaceful behavior; making the most of being a prisoner, recognizing your sphere of control; dealing with prisoner politics in various ways; the perseverance of the 1st and 2nd Amendments, or rather, the perseverance of the American cultural commitment to free speech, free religion, peaceable assembly, and bearing arms; and more.
Podcast: “Ep. 1796 Business Owner Refuses to Close, Confronts Enforcers” by the Tom Woods Show
Video: “How Norway’s Prisons Are Different From America’s | NowThis” on YouTube.comListen to Episode 451 (1h3m, mp3, 64kbps)
Subscribe via RSS here, or in any podcast app by searching for “everything voluntary”. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/evc.
Other podcasts: “Thinking & Doing“, “Voluntaryist Voices”
Referral links: Tom Wood’s Liberty Classroom, Ron Paul’s Homeschool Curriculum, Amazon Shopping
- Jim C. Returns, Surviving 2020, Living is Learning, & TV Recommendations (56m) – Episode 450
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Episode 450 welcomes back Jim Carigan to chat with Skyler on the following topics: surviving 2020 in Kentucky; living is learning; facial hair; memorable years in his life comparable to 2020; his Yankee mom and Dixiecrat dad; comparing mask mandates to the Vietnam War draft; recent attention on Federal spending; long term view of the effects of money inflation; 80% of humanity are meat puppets, 80% of the remaining have screwed themselves up, and the remaining 4% of humanity are “with it”, and even they disagree among themselves about good and evil; television show recommendations: PBS’s “Line of Separation“, HBO’s “Chernobyl“, Netflix’s “The Crown“, and Prime Video’s “The Expanse“; and more.
Listen to Episode 450 (56m, mp3, 64kbps)
Subscribe via RSS here, or in any podcast app by searching for “everything voluntary”. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/evc.
Other podcasts: “Thinking & Doing“, “Voluntaryist Voices”
Referral links: Tom Wood’s Liberty Classroom, Ron Paul’s Homeschool Curriculum, Amazon Shopping
- Your Actual Needs are Small & The Pressure of Time (27m) – Episode 054
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Episode 054 looks at two Stoic topics: the first from Seneca who wrote, “Nothing can satisfy greed, but even a small measure satisfies nature. So it is that the poverty of an exile brings no misfortune, for no place of exile is so barren as not to produce ample support for a person.”; and the second from r/Stoicism, a post by Ok_Intern_4405, which started, “I’m in my late twenties and I feel I am constantly pressuring myself to make good use of time, whether it is a conscious decision or not. I imagine a number of you could relate. Maybe it’s the rat race that has gotten into me, I’m not sure. But looking at the success of my peers, I can’t help but feel the need to not waste any second of my life.”
Listen to Episode 054 (27m, mp3, 64kbps)
Subscribe via RSS here, or in any podcast app by searching for “thinking and doing”. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/evc or PayPal.me/everythingvoluntary.
Other podcasts: “Everything Voluntary“, “Voluntaryist Voices”
Referral links: Tom Wood’s Liberty Classroom, Ron Paul’s Homeschool Curriculum, Amazon Shopping
- Washington Shitshow, Good People, Radio vs. Streaming, & GPS Speed Limiters (26m) – Episode 449
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Episode 449 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following entries to r/unpopularopinion: his own commentary on the January 6th events in Washington DC; GNU_Yorker writes, “Good people still outnumber bad people by a monstrous amount”; CainKilledAbleton writes, “Listening to radio when driving is better than music streaming”; and flammmes writes, “Cars should have speed limiters that communicate with GPS signal to update the limiter according to the road’s limit.”
Listen to Episode 449 (26m, mp3, 64kbps)
Subscribe via RSS here, or in any podcast app by searching for “everything voluntary”. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/evc.
Other podcasts: “Thinking & Doing“, “Voluntaryist Voices”
Referral links: Tom Wood’s Liberty Classroom, Ron Paul’s Homeschool Curriculum, Amazon Shopping
- Millennial Socialism, Teachers’ Strike, Fat Capitalist Bezos, & Work or Die (26m) – Episode 448
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Episode 448 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following entries to r/shitstatistssay: @NathanHRubin writes, “Millennials don’t hear socialism & think about the USSR or the Cold War… we think about Canada, Switzerland…”; PixPls writes, “It’s time that teachers stood up to their states and just said ‘No’. And while they are at it, a 20% raise is in order.”; Wordsmifff2991 writes, “The biggest cause of poverty is greed… Yes Jeff Bezos I’m talking to you.”; and NeonDepression writes, “There wouldn’t be any value without labor period. The worker HAS to create it for there to be any wealth whatsoever. Property inherently is theft… There is no such thing as a free market when people are forced to work in order to live. Thats called coercion.”
Listen to Episode 448 (26m, mp3, 64kbps)
Subscribe via RSS here, or in any podcast app by searching for “everything voluntary”. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/evc.
Other podcasts: “Thinking & Doing“, “Voluntaryist Voices”
Referral links: Tom Wood’s Liberty Classroom, Ron Paul’s Homeschool Curriculum, Amazon Shopping
- Avian Flu, Elected Transgender Women, Macron on Brexit, Pedophile Castration, & Pope Francis (30m) – Episode 447
Post by Skyler J. Collins (Editor).
Episode 447 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following news stories: from IndianExpress.com, “Avian flu confirmed: 1,800 migratory birds found dead in Himachal“; from PinkNews.co.uk, “Two trans women win election in historic moment for LGBT+ visibility in India” (Wikipedia.org, “LGBT themes in Hindu mythology“); from reddit.com, “Brexit a product of ‘lies and false promises’, Macron says in New Year’s message“; from JakartaGlobe.id, “Child Predators to be Chemically Castrated Under New Regulation“; and from TheGuardian.com, “Pope condemns travelling abroad to escape coronavirus lockdowns” (YouTube / Ivor Cummins, “Crucial Viral Update Jan 4th – Europe and USA – Covers it ALL“).
Listen to Episode 447 (30m, mp3, 64kbps)
Subscribe via RSS here, or in any podcast app by searching for “everything voluntary”. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/evc.
Other podcasts: “Thinking & Doing“, “Voluntaryist Voices”
Referral links: Tom Wood’s Liberty Classroom, Ron Paul’s Homeschool Curriculum, Amazon Shopping