Tag: society

Understanding the Action Axiom: How It Shapes the Structure of Society

Human society is a complex and ever-evolving web of relationships, institutions, and behaviors. At the heart of this complexity lies a fundamental question: Why do people do what they do? What drives human action, and how does it shape the societies we live in? Ludwig von Mises, a prominent Austrian economist, offered a compelling answer through what he called the “action axiom.”

What Is the Action Axiom?

At its core, the action axiom is a simple yet profound idea: Humans act purposefully to achieve their desired ends. This means that every action we take is driven by a reason, a goal we’re trying to achieve. Whether it’s something as basic as eating to satisfy hunger or as complex as running a business to earn a profit, our actions are always aimed at improving our situation as we perceive it.

Mises’s action axiom is a cornerstone of praxeology, the study of human action. It suggests that human behavior is not random or arbitrary; instead, it’s guided by a constant evaluation of how we can move from a less satisfactory state to a more satisfactory one. This axiom underlies much of economic theory, but its implications stretch far beyond economics, influencing our understanding of society, politics, and human relationships.

Diversity: The Catalyst for Complexity

One of the most fascinating aspects of human society is its diversity. People differ in countless ways: in their talents, skills, preferences, goals, and values. This diversity is both a strength and a challenge for any society. It allows for a rich variety of experiences and innovations, but it also necessitates systems of organization to manage these differences effectively.

The action axiom helps us understand why diversity is so fundamental. Each person, driven by their unique desires and circumstances, makes different choices. Some may choose to pursue artistic endeavors, while others focus on scientific research or entrepreneurship. These choices contribute to the vast array of roles and specializations in society, from teachers and doctors to engineers and artists.

This diversity of action leads to the development of complex societies where people must coordinate their efforts to achieve common goals. But how do these diverse individuals organize themselves? This question brings us to the evolution of social structures, particularly the emergence of hierarchies.

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Why Society Needs Conspiracy Theories & Conspiracy Theorists

It seems like you can’t catch a news headline or social media post these days without coming across the terms conspiracy theory and conspiracy theorist, or phrases like ‘spreading conspiracies’. One has to wonder: why are they so frequently employed?

In my most recent published work, I referenced an article from Canada’s National Post which ran with the headline ‘CBSA says it’s investigating border officer spreading COVID conspiracies online.’

The problem with these kinds of articles is that they are too often merely used as hit pieces to ridicule, degrade, and discredit any individual or group that goes against a certain narrative or disagrees with an author’s (or their publication’s partisanship or funders’) views.

Moreover, their authors very seldom make specific references or claims as to why they label their targets when using such over-used and over-abused disparaging rhetoric. When this is the case, it leads me to believe that the overall purpose of their pieces is to disparage their targets more than anything else.

Another recent example of this involves that from the article entitled ‘Network of Syria conspiracy theorists identified – study’ written by Mark Townsend from The Guardian (UK). In the article, the author claimed “journalist Aaron Maté at the Grayzone is said by the report to have overtaken Beeley as the most prolific spreader of disinformation among the 28 conspiracy theorists identified.” Maté had to refute the claim made against him which also involved contacting Townsend by phone. His counter article and the phone conversation appear on his Substack page (see ‘NATO-backed network of Syria dirty war propagandists identified)’ and is definitely an interesting case on how these ploys take place.

Countless other instances could be cited, but suffice it to say that there is no shortage of them.

But what is perhaps even more laughable with this phenomenon is the fact that these authors wantonly use these terms without even knowing their true meanings and where they actually originate from.

Before looking into these, though, we must first and foremost examine the meaning of the word ‘conspiracy’ itself. Oxford defines it as:

a secret plan by a group of people to do something harmful or illegal

Conspiracies have been an integral part of humanity ever since people have bonded together in groups for a better chance at survival.

Lord knows that history is riddled with an abundant supply of conspiracies and we will look at some notable examples later on.

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Our Entire Civilization Is Fake And Stupid

You’re not jaded; everything really is just as phony and vapid as it looks.

I say this because if you are reading this it’s likely the result of a personal quest for truth which has led to a gradual peeling away of the lies our society is made of. Your eyes probably found this text because you’re the sort of person who’s been trying to make sense of the world in a sea of propaganda and deception, which often results in a growing disgust not just with the power structures which oppress and tyrannize humanity, but with our entire civilization.

This experience is very common for people like yourself, and it’s very common because it arises from a clear perception of reality. From the very beginning human civilization has been built around serving the interests of the powerful, from religion to philosophy to the arts to law. As the world has gotten smaller and it’s become possible to artificially manufacture culture with mass-distributed media, this has only become more the case.

That’s why the more you learn about the world, the more fake and stupid our civilization looks. It’s because it is fake and stupid. Our news, our entertainment, our jobs, our legal systems, our political systems, our education systems, our financial, monetary, economic and commercial systems; the way our entire civilization is structured and organized has nothing to do with what’s true and good and everything to do with keeping human organisms compliantly turning the gears of capitalism and empire.

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