Jeremy Kauffman is the founder and former owner of Odysee. He is also the former executive director and a former board member of the Free State Project. Jeremy joins me for a broad discussion on his work, libertarianism, MAGA, and the state of Western civilization.
We begin by discussing Jeremy’s ideological journey, including how he became a libertarian. He recounts how LBRY, which he invented, was destroyed by the federal government. We then discuss left versus right libertarianism. This leads to a consideration of whether there is hope for a national restoration in America. Jeremy is pessimistic about that. Later, Jeremy argues that humans do not know how to maintain liberty, and that experimentation in governance could help solve that problem.
In the second half (available to subscribers), Jeremy and I shift gears to discuss property rights. Moving on, we discuss the libertarian conception of civilization. I ask Jeremy how libertarians can appreciate civilization, given that it has historically entailed the existence of a state. Jeremy outlines his minarchist perspective in response. I offer a Burkean perspective, arguing that while civilization does entail a state, other, non-state spheres develop organically and play a critical role in civilization—spheres that the universal liberal state seeks to infiltrate and control. Later, we discuss Trump, with Jeremy offering a supportive (yet critical) libertarian perspective on the MAGA movement. He argues that while he supports mass deportations, he would prefer them to be done in a more libertarian manner. But what the hell would that look like? Tune in to find out.
