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Brain in a Vat

End Taxes? | Jessica Flanigan

Apr 27, 2025
55:05

Jess Flanigan argues that personal income tax is illegitimate. But is the state ever justified in extracting money from its population to pay for public goods? Are property taxes and privatization of state functions better options? And if taxes are illegitimate, are we permitted, or even obligated, to stop paying our taxes?


[00:00] Introduction and Thought Experiment

[02:40] Justifying Taxes for Public Goods

[03:40] Alternative Tax Systems

[07:27] The Egalitarian Distribution Debate

[13:15] The Alienation of Labor in Capitalism

[17:49] Privatization and the Role of the State

[21:45] The Debate on Tariffs

[27:56] Economic Impact of Industrialization and Labor

[32:15] Debating Defensive Tariffs

[38:49] Funding Public Goods: Challenges and Solutions

[51:36] Libertarian Views on Government and Personal Freedom


Check out FeedSpot's list of 90 best philosophy podcasts, where Brain in a Vat is ranked at 15, here: https://podcast.feedspot.com/philosophy_podcasts/

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