014

Does Political Representation Make Sense?, with Gerard Casey

Subscribe to the Podcast

Gerard Casey

Dr. Casey is philosophy professor emeritus of University College Dublin, where he taught for almost 30 years. He is an Associated Scholar of the Mises Institute, Associate Editor of the Christian Libertarian Review, and author of many books and articles.

 

Summary – Does Political Representation Make Sense?, with Gerard Casey

An interview with Dr. Gerard Casey about his article “The Indefensibility of Political Representation.” Dr. Casey introduces himself and recounts how he became a libertarian anarchist. He speaks about the idea of legitimate command and various options proposed to justify the state’s supposed authority. He summarizes some of his examination of political representation from his article. He also talks about what real democracy was like, and closes with a reflection on caring for the poor in a free society. [Episode 14 direct download]

Main Points of Discussion

00:00 Introduction
00:32 Episode description
Article discussed (25 min read), “The Indefensibility of Political Representation” by Dr. Gerard Casey
Audio presentation (18 mins)
01:51 About Dr. Casey
Wikipedia
Academia page
Video interviews by Dr. Casey
Twitter
05:18 Libertarian conversion
The Theory of Money and Credit by Ludwig von Mises
10:07 Principles of legitimate command
15:11 Options proposed to justify the state
The main option in the West today is the idea of “representative” democracy, which is equated with self-governance
17:54 Hannah Pitkin‘s analysis and the basic incoherence of political representation
The Concept of Representation by Hanna Pitkin
25:44 Inevitable bureaucratic obstacles
BBC2’s “Yes Minister
29:46 Actual democracy and sortition
Against Elections by David Van Reybrouck
Jury nullification
37:24 Let The Poor Starve?
Paper by Dr. Casey
Also see video: How Govt “Solved” The Healthcare Crisis

Additional Resources

The Reformed Libertarians Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute  and a member of the Christians for Liberty Network

Comment & Subscribe