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Mechanics of Freedom, Chapter 8

I present for your consideration the translation of the eighth chapter of David Friedman’s treatise “The Machinery of Freedom”: “Monopoly II: State Monopoly for Fun and Profit”. While the previous chapter provided an overview of the types of monopolies, this one describes in more detail some of the mechanisms by which state monopolies are formed and maintained. The illustrative material, naturally, refers to the USA, but the mechanisms are universal enough.

Also, unexpectedly for myself, I have entered a social network as alien to me as VKontakte. One of the readers decided to open a mirror of my channel there. So, if you feel most comfortable exactly there (it’s convenient to comment, share, and all the things for which fines are later imposed and criminal cases are opened) — you are welcome.

Vacation is over

I’m back from my trip to the mountains, so there will be plenty of fresh material soon. Today, to get back into the swing of things, I’ll answer some simple question, and here’s the rough plan for what comes next:

  • I will break down the trip into cases illustrating different aspects of libertarianism and economic theory and release a fairly extensive article on the subject
  • I’ll edit and post the Friedman translations that my wonderful assistants managed to put together while I was away
  • I’ll put out a couple of articles for Bitarch and a new text for the Novosibirsk YouTube channel Libertarian Band (by the way, if anyone hasn’t checked out their latest video on libertarianism for grandmothers, definitely take a look; they have a new sexy host, and I like how he presented my text—the previous one, about lifelong tenure, turned out less lively).
  • I liked the idea of writing a few fairy tales in the style of Gorky’s Luka.
  • And we’ll see where it goes from there.

Oh, right, about Friedman. Shortly before leaving, I managed to edit the translation of one of the chapters of the third edition of the Mechanics of Liberty: Problems with deriving the ought from the is in Ayn Rand—enjoy this exclusive, as this text is hardly found anywhere, even in English. I’ve estimated the progress of the translation and think I can set a deadline for the project: February 12, 2020. Grandpa Friedman will turn 75 then, and we’ll have something to congratulate him with. I also remind you that donations for the translation are best sent to a separate wallet 1AFkD2bazCs5YZBBrSD7HsRMWLmRbg6QBo—it will be easier for me to estimate how much I can spend on rewarding my assistants. Please bear with me, but I will bother you with this reminder with every new chapter publication.

Mechanics of Freedom. Chapters 5-7

Today I am pleased to present three new chapters from The Machinery of Freedom all at once. The pool of translators has remained small but very productive, and I am now quite heavily loaded with editing work that can no longer be delegated to anyone.

In the chapter “Robin Hood Will Sell You Out”, Friedman demonstrates some non-obvious mechanisms of how welfare systems, formally created to help the poor, de facto redistribute money in favor of the rich. He also states that such government behavior is not a system error, but the system itself.

In the chapter “The Rich Get Richer, and the Poor Get Richer”, the title is telling enough to understand what it is about. It explains why the impoverishment of the working class, as Marx dreamed, does not occur in a free market, but instead there is a movement toward general prosperity.

Finally, in the chapter “Monopolies I. How to Lose Your Shirt”, Friedman vividly describes how miserable the fate of monopolies is in a free market, and how miserable the fate of those is who are unlucky enough to deal with government monopolies.

On this wonderful holiday, US Independence Day, enjoy the classics of anarcho-capitalist propaganda! By the way, hello to everyone who came via a tip from the Classical Liberal channel; I am very glad to have you, make yourselves comfortable.

The Mechanics of Freedom. Chapter 4.

I have posted the translation of the short fourth chapter The Machinery of Freedom by David Friedman. So far, the process is funded only by Bitarch, but you have the opportunity to add your own name to the acknowledgments section when preparing the final text, which I will definitely do. I would be glad to receive your donations to pay for the translation to a separate wallet: 1AFkD2bazCs5YZBBrSD7HsRMWLmRbg6QBo

I also invite everyone interested to write their reviews of the book. I would like to attach the most insightful ones to the translated text. Preferably, of course, not in the “read it – liked it” format, but of a more review-analytical nature.

The Mechanics of Freedom. Chapter 2.

I’ve posted the second chapter of David Friedman’s “The Machinery of Freedom”; it’s quite short. The third was posted a couple of months ago, and the fourth is currently being translated. In short, the process has started.

Once we finish the first part, I will polish the posted material to bring it to a consistent style and create an epub. I will do the same with the remaining parts.

So far, one translator has actively joined the project, and two more are getting ready while clearing other tasks. If you feel capable of taking on this work, let’s collaborate. The estimated payment is 400 rubles per standard page of source text (1,800 characters including spaces).

Mechanics of Freedom, Chapter 1

I was distracted from the translation for quite a while, but I have recently returned to it. I present to you the first chapter of David Friedman’s The Machinery of Freedom – In Defense of Property.

I hope I have enough momentum to continue the work for some time, but the best way to influence my priorities is to financially support those of my endeavors that are most interesting to you. For those who wish to sponsor the translation of The Machinery of Freedom specifically, rather than just abstractly support the project as a whole, I have set up a separate bitcoin wallet: 1AFkD2bazCs5YZBBrSD7HsRMWLmRbg6QBo

As for those who prefer to use a lightning bot in Telegram for donations, you can simply specify the purpose of the payment in the comment.

I would also be incredibly happy if you joined the translation work. It is very simple: go to the section where the original book is posted, choose any chapter that no one has taken on yet — and go for it.

Mechanics of Freedom. The Process Has Begun

So, the distributed translation of “Mechanics of Freedom” is slowly picking up pace. The first part I received was the third chapter of the book: “Love Alone is Not Enough,” and after some edits, I have just published it.

As a reminder, you can speed up the process or simply express your gratitude by sending bitcoins. On the donations page, I provide various ways to do this.

And, of course, you can always choose a chapter for yourself to translate.

The Mechanics of Freedom

So, I am officially beginning the translation of David Friedman’s “The Machinery of Freedom.” All the English text is posted on the website in the section “The Machinery of Freedom – original”. This includes the text of the second edition, as well as chapters prepared by David Friedman for the third edition, which I took from his website.

Translated chapters will be gradually posted in the section “The Machinery of Freedom – translation”. For now, as a teaser, I have translated and posted the introductory materials, and I am currently working on the first chapter. I have also posted five chapters translated some time ago by Elena Mokeeva commissioned by the Libertarian Party of Russia, but these still require editing to bring them to a consistent style. Anyone interested can take on the translation of a particular chapter and then send me the results of their work; I will edit it and add it to the project. Before starting a translation, it is best to contact me via DM to avoid collisions.

When the translation is fully completed, I will compile it into a single PDF for those who prefer reading on paper, and into an EPUB for those who prefer reading from a screen. The text will also remain on the website, posted by chapter—this is convenient for referencing specific chapters in discussions.

If you think this is a worthwhile endeavor, I kindly ask you not to keep your opinion to yourself, but to support the project with bitcoins or direct participation; together we will finish faster. As new chapters are posted, I will be sure to announce it in the channel.

For donations, my bitcoin wallet is still a great option:
1A7Wu2enQNRETLXDNpQEufcbJybtM1VHZ8. I have also recently discovered the magical world of the Lightning network, which will be the subject of a separate article, so you can send me money directly in Telegram using a special bot. Lightning is great because it allows for the instantaneous transfer of small amounts with extremely modest fees. But you will read more about this a bit later.

Work on translations

Recently, Sergey Ankapov contacted me via Facebook direct messages, inquiring about my ability to assist in organizing the translation of Franz Oppenheimer’s book “The State.” Unfortunately, I didn’t know any translators who were free enough to join the project. And just yesterday, I found out that not only is a translation planned, but also a print edition of the book, and fundraising is underway for this. I know that many people value print editions specifically, so I consider it my duty to inform you how you can help the project. Most of the amount has already been collected; all that’s missing is you.

Also, recently, as part of the “Hyde Park Library” project, the book “The New Autocracy,” which thoroughly dissects the modern Russian political machine, was posted. The book is recommended by Ekaterina Schulmann, who participated in its creation. An activist was found who decided to take on the translation of the book, although the idea of translating a book about Russia, written primarily by Russians, from English into Russian seems a bit strange to me. Regardless, he is assembling a team of like-minded people to tackle this work collectively.

And for dessert. I have begun working on the translation of David Friedman’s book “The Machinery of Freedom” — the most fundamental work on the doctrine of anarcho-capitalism. Unfortunately, the pace is quite slow, as time for work on the project is allocated on a residual basis. I think this can be changed. In the near future, I will create a section on the website where I will post the English text by chapter, and as the translation progresses, I will add the translated parts there. Anyone who wishes can take any untranslated fragment, send me the translation, and I will edit it and add it to the site. Your donations will also be very helpful: practice has shown that I work with significantly more enthusiasm when I see that you are willing to pay for what I produce.

The book will be translated based on the text of the second edition released in 1986, with additions published in 2014 that have not yet gained widespread recognition.