The original Etienne de la Boetie, 1530-1563, was a French political philosopher who wrote The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude (popularly reprinted in English as: The Anti-Dictator) in the 16th century where he argued that men are not so much enslaved as they enslave themselves and the only power tyrants have is given to them by the majority of their victims. This is as true today as it was then.

He was one of the first to chronicle the techniques that monarchs, the organized crime system of that day, used to create obedience and fealty in their tax slaves. He also observed that there were always “a few” who would not bow and relinquish to authority, “Resolve to serve no more and you are at once freed”.

This weeks Podcast is a discussion of our lack of freedom and the techniques used to achieve it with the author of the book “Understanding our Slavery” who calls himself ‘Etienne De La Boetie the 2nd’. I recommend picking up a copy, it will greatly help you in better understanding slavery. It is a pictorial book that is easier to understand than most books.

The book and the mission

Etienne is a mission to spread an understanding of slavery to as many people as possible. It is only by understanding that we are not free that we will ever be in a position to rationally argue for freedom. It was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who said that “There are none more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe that they are free”. Once we understand that we are not free then we can be motivated to find out what freedom is and exactly why we need it to flourish, then we can set about intellectually persuading our fellow men and arguing for freedom.

Join us at lawfulrebel.com and become a new intellectual truth seeker. Understand the need for freedom, understand that you are not free at present and join the conversation to persuade and reason with others how and why we must be free.

Understanding our slavery

It is vital to first identify and understand any problem before it can be addressed. Etienne’s book is a massive step towards gaining that understanding due to its pictorial style and comprehensive content. This issue is very important and it is clearly explained in this book.

Quotes from the original Etienne De La Boetie

“It is incredible how as soon as a people become subject, it promptly falls into such complete forgetfulness of its freedom that it can hardly be roused to the point of regaining it, obeying so easily and willingly that one is led to say that this people has not so much lost its liberty as won its enslavement.”

“It has always happened that tyrants, in order to strengthen their power, have made every effort to train their people not only in obedience and servility toward themselves, but also in adoration.”

“Resolve to serve no more, and you are at once freed. I do not ask that you place hands upon the tyrant to topple him over, but simply that you support him no longer; then you will behold him, like a great Colossus whose pedestal has been pulled away, fall of his own weight and break into pieces.”

“Tyrants would distribute largess, a bushel of wheat, a gallon of wine, and a sesterce: and then everybody would shamelessly cry, “Long live the King!” The fools did not realize that they were merely recovering a portion of their own property, and that their ruler could not have given them what they were receiving without having first taken it from them.”