whats the difference self gov vs volantarism vs volantaryism? i dont think ron acting through politics means he endorses the politics and doesnt mean he denies volantarism. i think he used it more as an educational tool and to act as a good example if we are forced to live with these politics. the dictionary has both voluntaryism/voluntarism for one definition from what i can find. same with other sources i looked through.
self-government is defined in scales. Individual, couples, families, extended families, co-workers, neighborhoods, towns, cities, counties, states, nations, blocs (NATO/UN), the world. We place artificial constraints on self-government primarily via geography or physical proximity. Self government is dynamic and fluctuates, depending on scope of activities.
voluntarism is the use of a voluntary action. I drink pepsi instead of coke. I wake up at 7:30am. I drive a truck. I eat veggies.
voluntaryism is a deep rooted anarchist type philosophy that has branched out from even deeper rooted libertarian philosophies which holds a key tenant that participating in politics perpetuates the legitimacy of "the state".
So,
What do you mean endorses the politics? He went to congress to make a difference. He has been successful beyond what he thought was possible. I don't think he denies voluntaryism. I also don't think he endorses it either, and I certainly don't think he "is one". His actions do not match the philosophy.
As far as definitions, voluntarism is an actual word. It is often confused between what is meant by this word because the base voluntary. Voluntaryism is misused when it is being used to mean a voluntary action. The reason it's misused is because that "word" voluntaryism has been coined to mean a specific philosophy that has some basis in the root voluntary. However, to understand the philosophy, it is not enough to simply take your idea of the root word and accept that as what the philosophy stands for.
For instance, if a voluntaryist voluntarily ran for and became president of the United States, would that then mean the person is no longer a voluntaryist or would it mean that voluntaryism no longer "
seek instead to delegitimize the State through education, and advocate the withdrawal of the cooperation and tacit consent on which state power ultimately depends".
Some will argue that you can't judge a philosophy by one man who claims to adhere to it yet breaks it's tenants. Well, Ron Paul never claimed to be a Voluntaryist, and I doubt he ever will. Because in doing so, he would either have to say he changed his mind about his purpose for the last 30 years in being in Congress, OR that he believes voluntaryism is compatible with participating in the "state apparatus". At which point, he would be at odds with other so called voluntaryist who don't believe in acting in such a way.