The Voluntary Life

I choose to parent without violence or aggression. This means I eschew various actions that a lot of parents still consider acceptable- actions such as spanking, hitting, yelling, psychotropic drugs, circumcision, and so on. In this episode, I explain my own reasons for choosing to practice peaceful parenting. Show Notes:

• What Is Peaceful Parenting?
• Parent Effectiveness Training by Thomas Gordon
• The Milgram Experiment
• TVL Series Your Own Moral Compass Part 1 (E151), Part 2 (E152), and Part 3 (E153)

Jake's guide to the best books on pursuing financial independence. Some of the books are must-reads, whereas others are suggested for specific purposes or additional information only. No country-specific books are included, so the list is relevant regardless of where you live. Listen to the episode to find out why I recommend each book and what you can expect from them. Show Notes:

• Job Free by Jake Desyllas
• Financial Independence Series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4
• The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley
• Stop Acting Rich by Thomas Stanley
• Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
• Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicky Rubin
• Fail Safe Investing by Harry Browne (TVL Review)
• Why the Best-Laid Investment Plans Usually Go Wrong by Harry Browne
• The Permanent Portfolio by Craig Rowland and J.M. Lawson
• A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel (TVL Review)
• The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John Bogle
• Guide to Investing In Gold and Silver by Michael Maloney
• Where Are the Customers' Yachts? by Fred Schwed
• The 4% Rule and Safe Withdrawal Rates In Retirement by Todd Tressider
• The Global Expatriate's Guide to Investing by Andrew Hallam
• What Has Government Done to Our Money by Murray Rothbard

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