Samuel Edward Konkin III | |
|---|---|
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| Born | (1947-07-08)July 8, 1947 |
| Died | February 23, 2004(2004-02-23) (aged 56) West Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Other names | SEK3 |
| Alma mater | University of Alberta |
| Notable work | New Libertarian Manifesto (1980) |
| Spouse | Sheila Wymer |
| Era | 20th-century philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy American philosophy Canadian philosophy |
| School | Agorism Left-Libertarianism Austrian School |
| Academic career | |
| Influences | Rothbard |
Main interests | Political philosophy Economics |
Notable ideas | Agorism Counter-Economics Grey market/Black market distinction Left-wing interpretation of the thought ofMurray Rothbard Minarchism (coining the term) |
Samuel Edward Konkin III (July 8, 1947 – February 23, 2004), also known asSEK3, was a Canadian-Americanleft-libertarian philosopher andAustrian school economist. As the author of the publicationNew Libertarian Manifesto, he was a proponent of apolitical philosophy he namedagorism.
Konkin was born on July 8, 1947, inEdmonton, Alberta, to Samuel Edward Konkin II and Helen Konkin. He had one brother named Alan. He married Sheila Wymer in 1990 and had one son named Samuel Evans-Konkin. The marriage ended soon afterward.[1] Konkin was an atheist.[1] Konkin was also noted for his style of dress: "To show hisanarchist beliefs, he dressed completely in black, a color associated with that movement since the late nineteenth century".[2]
On February 23, 2004, Konkin died ofnatural causes in his apartment inWest Los Angeles,California. He was buried alongside his father inEdmonton, Alberta.[1]
Konkin was a lifelong fan ofC. S. Lewis andJ. R. R. Tolkien[1] and an avidfanzine contributor. He was a known figure among science fiction/fantasy fans for his writing onAlarums and Excursions and the like.[3] In a 1976 issue ofAlarums and Excursions, Konkin published a drawing depictingDungeons & Dragons writersGary Gygax,Len Lakofka andTim Kask being hanged by a group of women. This came in the wake of community backlash after Lakofka had suggested new rules for women that would have rated their "beauty" and made them weaker in combat against male characters.[4]
Konkin himself attempted to propose a new character archetype, thedamsel, which he depicted as achaste character in search of love, in the vein of a Disney Princess.[3] Konkin's proposal was criticized for upholdinggender stereotypes, in which chastity promoted the character to a "consort" whilepromiscuity demoted them to the role of "courtesan". He was also criticized forvictim blaming in scenarios where the damsel is sexually assaulted, as he implied thatsuicide was a woman's only moral response.[5] Writer Aaron Trammell described Konkin's proposal as anobjectification of women because it defined them by their sexuality.[6] OtherD&D fans wrote to Konkin in objection to his character proposal, with many describing it as the work of a "male chauvinist pig" while one re-characterized it assatire.[7] Trammell characterized the letters as an act ofrestorative justice, where the writers attempted to privately explain to Konkin the problems they had with the character, rather than publicly denouncing him.[8]
Konkin consideredlibertarianism radical. He was an initiator of the Agorist Institute.
Konkinrejected voting, believing it to be inconsistent with libertarian ethics. He likewise opposed involvement with theLibertarian Party, which he regarded as astatist co-option of libertarianism. He was an opponent of influentialminarchist philosopherRobert Nozick, and referred to Nozick's devotees as "Nozis".[2]
Konkin presents his strategy for achieving a libertarian society in his manifesto,New Libertarian Manifesto. Since he rejected voting and other means by which people typically attempt social change, he encouraged people to withdraw their consent from the state by devoting their economic activities toblack market andgrey market sources, which would not be taxed or regulated. Konkin called "transactions on these markets, as well as other activities that bypassed the State, 'counter-economics.' Peaceful transactions take place in a free market, oragora: hence his term 'agorism' for the society he sought to achieve."[2] He also strongly opposed the idea ofintellectual property.[2][9]
Konkin was editor and publisher of the irregularly-producedNew Libertarian Notes (1971–1975), theNew Libertarian Weekly (1975–1978), and finallyNew Libertarian magazine (1978–1990), the last issue of which was a specialscience fiction tribute featuring aRobert A. Heinlein cover (issue 187, 1990).
Konkin was an opponent ofimperialism andinterventionism.[10]
Konkin proposed a social political philosophy known asagorism, which advocates for a society in which all relations between people are voluntary exchanges by means ofcounter-economics, engaging with aspects ofnonviolent revolution. Agorism has similar elements toanarcho-capitalism, but unlike some anarcho-capitalists, most agorists strictly oppose voting as a strategy for achieving their desired outcomes.
The goal of agorism is theagora. The society of the open marketplace as near to untainted by theft, assault, and fraud as can be humanly attained is as close to a free society as can be achieved. And a free society is the only one in which each and every one of us can satisfy his or her subjective values without crushing others' values by violence and coercion.
— Samuel Edward Konkin III[11]
In her bookAnarchism: Left, Right, and Green, political theorist andanarcho-syndicalist Ulrike Heider accused Konkin of endorsinghistorical negationism in his dealing with theInstitute for Historical Review (IHR),[12] at which he was a member of the board of directors; this included allotting advertisement space to the IHR inNew Libertarian,[13] and writing a positive review ofJames J. Martin's book onRaphael Lemkin, which was published by the IHR.[14] Konkin personally rejectedHolocaust denial, but defended the IHR because he believed its freedom of speech was being suppressed.[12][15] However, Konkin's appraisal of Martin's book, specifically the second chapter (in which Martin labelled the claims of the mass murder of Jews as "a well coordinated and orchestrated propaganda assault"[16]) as "a summary of Martin's libertarian-revisionist views of the Second World War" and "the highlight of the book and a valuable booklet on its own" for "the libertarian and the hard-core revisionist",[14] calls that framing into question.
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