Agrarian JusticeThomas Paine
Agrarian Justice
by Thomas Paine
29mentions
9recommended by
19HN commenters
2010–2026first – last mentioned
47% recommend47% neutral5% critical
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…this "crisis of abundance" is not exactly a new question. Even moving to agrarian living had growing pains. The best example philosophically detailing this, I think, is the work by Thomas Paine called Agrarian Justice. (that's the same Paine as Common Sense, Rights of Man, and Age of Reason) Agrarian Justice is a short pamphlet that I think everyone should read. It details in simple terms how civilized society is…
on “Confessions of A Job Destroyer” ↗…actually seeded with some really interesting arguments and analysis. Still focusing on land, but bringing things back towards Norvig's simulation (lots of individual actors), Thomas Paine's short essay, "Agrarian Justice," has some good descriptions of what goes on and offers some pretty good solutions. http://www.ssa.gov/history/paine4.html
on “Economics Simulation” ↗At least one prominent American, Thomas Paine (of the American revolution) advocated a guaranteed minimum income for everyone in his pamphlet Agrarian Justice, which was a real fascinating read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agrarian_Justice The US Social Security administration keeps a full text of the pamphlet online: http://www.ssa.gov/history/paine4.html
on “In the Future Everything Will Be A Coffee Shop” ↗…of an issue like basic income where heroes of the right and of the left disagree adamantly amongst themselves. If Friedman isn't "right" enough for you, how's Thomas Paine? See his pamphlet entitled "Agrarian Justice". Point is: there is no correct "right" or "left" or "capitalist" or "socialist" position on this issue. Opposing it simply because it constitutes a wealth transfer ignores that fact that every society…
Thomas Paine makes a good point for citizen's dividend in his pamphlet "Agrarian Justice". http://www.ssa.gov/history/paine4.html Now that we live in a civilized state and people own all the property, it makes it impossible for one to live in a natural state. So, he argues property owners…
on “It Is Time For Basic Income” ↗You can have basic income without income or business tax. Thomas Paine's Agrarian Justice proposed just such a system. https://www.ssa.gov/history/paine4.html
on “Advanced Economies Must Still Make Things” ↗…looking to supply lines, avoiding conflicts, not entering "battles" you know you'll lose (which I'd take as 'learn nothing from'). Christianarchy - what it means to be a Christian, who is and isn't "in". Agrarian Justice, Paine - what is my place politically and economically in the world, whence do I derive the 'rights' to own what I do, whether such ownership is good. Worth noting here that the ideas and impressions…
on “Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?” ↗…suffer. This is not a new concern: https://www.economist.com/blogs/lexington/2010/10/estate_tax... Personally, when I'm feeling a bit revolutionary, I find myself favoring Thomas Paine's solution in Agrarian Justice to help fund something like a UBI.
on “Income Inequality (2016)” ↗…https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geolibertarianism Or read John Lockes argument on how land, as given by God to all, must be shared fairly. Expanded a bit upon by Thomas Paine https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agrarian_Justice
on “Unconditional Cash Study: first findings available” ↗…natural inheritance on coming of age. He suggested this in addition to subsidies for old age. Ironically, this is the same guy Tea Party members love to quote when they disparage taxes. His pamphlet, Agrarian Justice, is well worth a read. http://www.ssa.gov/history/paine4.html
on “Trends that will create demand for an Unconditional Basic Income” ↗…compute how much the basic income is likely to cost. The final pre-tax distribution of income will also change, but that is much more difficult to estimate. This idea dates back to at least Thomas Paine's Agrarian Justice and is supported by many (at least 1/2 a dozen) nobel prize winning economists. A basic income is interesting to study and has many compelling features, but it is complicated enough that it is not possible…
on “Activists push for guaranteed minimum income for Canadians” ↗…earth. It is the value of the improvements only, and not the earth itself, that is individual property. Every proprietor owes to the community a ground rent for the land which he holds" — Thomas Paine, Agrarian Justice, 1797
on “Ask HN: Anyone else feels the commoditization of real estate is unethical?” ↗…for the other person they definitely don't have liberty, they are basically a slave to another person. A basic income system like that proposed by Georgists,Geo-Libertarians, and I think Thomas Paine (Agrarian Justice) is compatible with both left and right libertarian views. The right to life is a moral imperative, but the protection of life is something completely different and is a slippery slope.
on “Moving Forward on Basic Income” ↗…income. An even better solution would be fund it via a national real-estate property tax or national land value tax, and not to raise it from taxes on earnings at all, as Thomas Paine originally proposed in Agrarian Justice.
on “‘Remarkable’ global decline in the number of children women are having” ↗…An octavo pamphlet could run 16 pages (8 impressions per side). I don't know if longer materials (32 - 64 pages) were produced, though I suspect these were printed on multiple pages. Thomas Paine's Agrarian Justice, a 32-page pamphlet, has printers marks for four sides ('B', 'C', and 'D' noted on pages 9, 17, 25, respectively), as an example, which would likely correspond to two double-sided octavo signatures: https://www.designersinsights.com/designer-resources/underst... https://archive.org/details/agrarianjusticeo00pain
on “Medieval Price List” ↗