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Tomasz Kaye is a market anarchist and creator of the popular animated video “George Ought to Help“, which argues against the legitimacy of the state. Tomasz’s approach to political philosophy is highly systematic. He begins with metaethical questions and, only after answering them, devises a political system that coheres with his metaethics. In this episode, we focus on those foundational questions. Tomasz is a “moral nihilist” – after explaining what that means and why he’s convinced of it, we discuss the role that intuitions play in his ethics. We then explore his intuitions about property – both of one’s body and of things – and what may logically follow from those intuitions.

Audio

Video

Next week: Tomasz Kaye, Pt. 2: The Mechanics of Market Anarchism
Special thanks to Jackie Blum for the podcast art, and The Tin Box for the theme music.

Topics discussed

0:20 – Intro to Tomasz Kaye
1:14 – Metaethics: intuitions and moral nihilism
13:20 – Foundational intuitions: property rights
17:01 – Significance of dualism
19:05 – Property and desert islands
24:27 – Socialization and elegance

Sources

“George Ought to Help” by Tomasz Kaye
“How to Make Peace with Moral Nihilism” by Tomasz Kaye