The Voluntary Life

A discussion of a very thought-provoking article by the late Harry Browne, called “A Gift for My Daughter”. The episode includes a recording of Harry reading his own words. Harry’s ideas had a huge influence on me, but I don’t agree with him about everything. This article is particularly interesting because it explains an important truth, and yet I think it also demonstrates one of Harry’s most significant blindspots. Show Notes: A Gift for My Daughter by Harry Browne TVL Episode On How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World by Harry Browne Fail Safe Investing by Harry Browne Job Free by Jake Desyllas Episode 265: A Review Of Escape From Childhood By John Holt

In this episode I am joined by my wife Hannah Braime to discuss William B. Irvine's book, A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy. This book argues that the philosophy of stoicism is relevant to modern life and can be used to help you live well, according to your own values. We recorded the episode for the Psychology Book Club. I am sharing it here because the themes are highly relevant to The Voluntary Life. Show Notes: A Guide To The Good Life by William B. Irvine Psychology Book Club Hannah Braime

A listener asks: "How do you cope with family and friend pressure to buy bigger and better and to have an expensive wedding and kids, which leaves you with no ability to save and get ahead in life?" What do you think? Listen to the episode to hear my response.

Why do people spend so much of their disposable income on consumption and save so little towards their own financial independence? This episode presents four competing theories that try to answer this question: Theory 1: People are brainwashed into consumerism by advertising. Theory 2: Spending escalates as people try to keep up with their peer groups. Theory 3: Central bank policies have undermined saving. Theory 4: Spending is the path of least resistance, so you won't save unless you have sufficient motivation. Which (if any) of these theories have merit? Is there a better explanation? Let me know what you think!   Show Notes: Job Free by Jake Desyllas

Many people who write about financial independence emphasise the benefits of self-sufficiency and DIY as part of their lifestyle. Will it help your journey to financial independence to try to be self-sufficient? Does it make financial sense to do your own repairs and renovations? This episode provides a different perspective. Show Notes: Job Free by Jake Desyllas TVL Episode 225: Comparative Advantage Is Mind-blowing I, Pencil by Leonard Read How to Make a $1500 Sandwich in Only 6 Months

John Holt was a leading figure in the school reform movement, who became increasingly interested in how children learn outside of school—what he called “unschooling.” He wrote many influential books about alternatives to schooling and he helped start the modern homeschooling movement. His book Escape From Childhood provides a thought-provoking critique of how most adults treat children, and a vision of how we could treat children with dignity, giving them greater freedom. Show Notes: Escape From Childhood by John Holt TVL Discussion of Instead of Education by John Holt Previous TVL Episodes on Unschooling

In his book Stop Acting Rich, author Thomas Stanley explained a way to calculate your relative net worth, taking into account both your age and your income. He used this calculation to create a wealth index, which you can use to judge whether you are on the path to FI, or whether you are burning more of your income than you should. In the episode I explain how the wealth index is calculated and provide commentary on how to use it. There is also a free website that does the calculation for you. Show Notes: The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley Stop Acting Rich By Thomas Stanley TVL Episode 80: Financial Freedom Milestones Website To Check Your Wealth Index by Hugh Chou TVL Episode 242: Financial Pros And Cons Of Home Ownership

An historical overview of rational ethics, focussing on the revolution in moral philosophy that happened during the Enlightenment. Although there was amazing progress during the Enlightenment, the contradictions of enlightenment thinkers eventually led them to lose their way on ethics and abandon a rational approach to morality. Understanding this background is helpful if you want to use rational thinking to make sense of ethics for yourself. Show Notes: TVL Episode 151 Your Own Moral Compass Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 TED talk by Michael Huemer: The Progress of Liberalism Episode 227 Review Of The Better Angels Of Our Nature By Steven Pinker All Previous Episodes in the Thinking Rationally Series  

Many ideas that have been debunked long ago nonetheless remain very popular. This episode highlights three popular irrational biases about economics, taken from Brian Caplan's book The Myth Of The Rational Voter. The biases covered are the pessimism bias, the anti-market bias, and the anti-foreign bias. Show Notes: All Previous Episodes in the Thinking Rationally Series The Myth Of The Rational Voter by Bryan Caplan Episode 90 Rational Optimism Versus Doom Porn The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley Episode 227 Review Of The Better Angels Of Our Nature By Steven Pinker The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker Entrepreneurship Part 4: Profit Is Sanity Episode 176 The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality by Ludwig Von Mises Part 1  (and Part 2) Episode 225 Comparative Advantage Is Mind-blowing

Politics brings out the worst in people. As the economist Joseph Schumpeter put it, "The typical citizen drops down to a lower level of mental performance as soon as he enters the political field. He argues and analyzes in a way which he would readily recognize as infantile within the sphere of his real interests. He becomes a primitive again." This episode is about the problem of political irrationality. Why are political beliefs so irrational? How does this affect your life? Listen to the episode to find out more! Show Notes: All Previous Episodes in the Thinking Rationally Series The Myth Of The Rational Voter by Bryan Caplan George Carlin On Politics Michael Heumer on The Irrationality Of Politics