Samuel Edward Konkin III
Encyclopedia
Samuel Edward Konkin III (aka SEK3) (8 July 1947 – 23 February 2004) was the author of the New Libertarian Manifesto
and a proponent of the political philosophy which he called agorism
. Agorism is a leftward evolution of anarcho-capitalism
, and subset of market anarchism
. In the introduction to New Libertarian Manifesto he credited Murray Rothbard
, Robert LeFevre
, and Ludwig von Mises
as influences.
, Canada
to Samuel Edward Konkin II and Helen. He had one brother, Alan. He married Sheila Wymer in 1991 and had one son, Samuel Edward Konkin IV. The marriage ended shortly thereafter. Konkin was also notable for his style of dress: "To show his anarchist
beliefs, he dressed completely in black, a color associated with that movement since the late nineteenth century."
Konkin rejected voting
, believing it to be inconsistent with libertarian ethics. He likewise opposed involvement in the Libertarian Party
, which he regarded as a statist co-option of libertarianism. He was an opponent of influential minarchist philosopher Robert Nozick
, and referred to Nozick's followers as "Nozis."
Konkin presents his strategy for achieving a libertarian
society in his aforementioned manifesto. Since he rejected voting and other means by which people typically aim to change, reform, or "fight the system from the inside," his approach necessarily aimed at fighting "the system" from without. Specifically, he encouraged people to withdraw their consent from the state by moving their economic activities into the black market and grey market
where they would be untaxed and unregulated. "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, or agora
: hence his term 'agorism
' for the society he sought to achieve." He also strongly opposed intellectual property
.
Konkin was interested in TSR
's role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons
, and contributed a newsletter to the role-playing fanzine 'Alarums and Excursions' for many years, starting in the late 1970's. He described the ongoing adventures of his group of characters in a D&D universe. One copy of the newsletter's cover featured them hanging D&D co-author and president of TSR Gary Gygax
from a tree limb over a rule dispute.
Konkin was editor and publisher of the irregularly produced New Libertarian Notes (1971-1975), the New Libertarian Weekly (1975-1978), and finally New Libertarian magazine (1978-1990), the last issue of which was a special science fiction
tribute featuring a Robert A. Heinlein
cover (issue 187, 1990).
. Konkin personally rejected Holocaust denial
, but supported the Institute for Historical Review
on the grounds that their freedom of speech was under attack.
of "natural causes". He was buried alongside his father in Edmonton
, Alberta
. A memorial held a month later in Torrance, California
was attended by friends and family, including Republican
congressman Dana Rohrabacher
, authors Victor Koman
and Brad Linaweaver
, and libertarian Jeff Riggenbach
.
New Libertarian Manifesto
The New Libertarian Manifesto is a work of agorist philosophy written by Samuel Edward Konkin III. In it, Konkin proffers various arguments of how a free society would function as well as examples of existing gray and black markets. It contains criticisms of utilizing political or violent means,...
and a proponent of the political philosophy which he called agorism
Agorism
Agorism is a political philosophy founded by Samuel Edward Konkin III and developed with contributions by J. Neil Schulman that holds as its ultimate goal bringing about a society in which all "relations between people are voluntary exchanges – a free market." The term comes from the Greek...
. Agorism is a leftward evolution of anarcho-capitalism
Anarcho-capitalism
Anarcho-capitalism is a libertarian and individualist anarchist political philosophy that advocates the elimination of the state in favour of individual sovereignty in a free market...
, and subset of market anarchism
Market anarchism
Free-market anarchism refers to an individualist anarchist philosophy in which monopoly of force held by government would be replaced by a competitive market of non-monopolistic organizations providing security, justice, and other defense services...
. In the introduction to New Libertarian Manifesto he credited Murray Rothbard
Murray Rothbard
Murray Newton Rothbard was an American author and economist of the Austrian School who helped define capitalist libertarianism and popularized a form of free-market anarchism he termed "anarcho-capitalism." Rothbard wrote over twenty books and is considered a centrally important figure in the...
, Robert LeFevre
Robert LeFevre
Robert LeFevre was an American libertarian businessman, radio personality, and primary theorist of autarchism.-Early life:...
, and Ludwig von Mises
Ludwig von Mises
Ludwig Heinrich Edler von Mises was an Austrian economist, philosopher, and classical liberal who had a significant influence on the modern Libertarian movement and the "Austrian School" of economic thought.-Biography:-Early life:...
as influences.
Personal life
Konkin was born in SaskatchewanSaskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to Samuel Edward Konkin II and Helen. He had one brother, Alan. He married Sheila Wymer in 1991 and had one son, Samuel Edward Konkin IV. The marriage ended shortly thereafter. Konkin was also notable for his style of dress: "To show his anarchist
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
beliefs, he dressed completely in black, a color associated with that movement since the late nineteenth century."
Political views
Like Rothbard in the late 1960s and early 70s, Konkin saw libertarianism as a movement of the radical left. He was a founder of the Agorist Institute and the Movement of the Libertarian Left.Konkin rejected voting
Non-voting
Non-voting is a strategy employed by various radical libertarians and anarchists who wish to promote a free society yet who view voting to be either unethical or impractical...
, believing it to be inconsistent with libertarian ethics. He likewise opposed involvement in the Libertarian Party
Libertarian Party (United States)
The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
, which he regarded as a statist co-option of libertarianism. He was an opponent of influential minarchist philosopher Robert Nozick
Robert Nozick
Robert Nozick was an American political philosopher, most prominent in the 1970s and 1980s. He was a professor at Harvard University. He is best known for his book Anarchy, State, and Utopia , a right-libertarian answer to John Rawls's A Theory of Justice...
, and referred to Nozick's followers as "Nozis."
Konkin presents his strategy for achieving a libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
society in his aforementioned manifesto. Since he rejected voting and other means by which people typically aim to change, reform, or "fight the system from the inside," his approach necessarily aimed at fighting "the system" from without. Specifically, he encouraged people to withdraw their consent from the state by moving their economic activities into the black market and grey market
Grey market
A grey market or gray market also known as parallel market is the trade of a commodity through distribution channels which, while legal, are unofficial, unauthorized, or unintended by the original manufacturer...
where they would be untaxed and unregulated. "Konkin called transactions on these markets, as well as other activities that bypassed the State, 'counter-economics
Counter-economics
Counter-economics is a term originally used by Samuel Edward Konkin III and J. Neil Schulman, libertarian activists and theorists. Konkin defined it as "the study and/or practice of all peaceful human action which is forbidden by the State." The term is short for "counter-establishment economics"...
.' Peaceful transactions take place in a free market, or agora
Agora
The Agora was an open "place of assembly" in ancient Greek city-states. Early in Greek history , free-born male land-owners who were citizens would gather in the Agora for military duty or to hear statements of the ruling king or council. Later, the Agora also served as a marketplace where...
: hence his term 'agorism
Agorism
Agorism is a political philosophy founded by Samuel Edward Konkin III and developed with contributions by J. Neil Schulman that holds as its ultimate goal bringing about a society in which all "relations between people are voluntary exchanges – a free market." The term comes from the Greek...
' for the society he sought to achieve." He also strongly opposed intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
.
Konkin was interested in TSR
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
's role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
, and contributed a newsletter to the role-playing fanzine 'Alarums and Excursions' for many years, starting in the late 1970's. He described the ongoing adventures of his group of characters in a D&D universe. One copy of the newsletter's cover featured them hanging D&D co-author and president of TSR Gary Gygax
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
from a tree limb over a rule dispute.
Konkin was editor and publisher of the irregularly produced New Libertarian Notes (1971-1975), the New Libertarian Weekly (1975-1978), and finally New Libertarian magazine (1978-1990), the last issue of which was a special science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
tribute featuring a Robert A. Heinlein
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
cover (issue 187, 1990).
Criticism
Ulrike Heider criticized Konkin in his book Anarchism: Left, Right, and Green for supporting historical revisionismHistorical revisionism
In historiography, historical revisionism is the reinterpretation of orthodox views on evidence, motivations, and decision-making processes surrounding a historical event...
. Konkin personally rejected Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
, but supported the Institute for Historical Review
Institute for Historical Review
The Institute for Historical Review , founded in 1978, is an American organization that describes itself as a "public-interest educational, research and publishing center dedicated to promoting greater public awareness of history." Critics have accused it of being an antisemitic "pseudo-scholarly...
on the grounds that their freedom of speech was under attack.
Death
On 23 February 2004, Konkin died in his apartment in West Los Angeles, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
of "natural causes". He was buried alongside his father in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. A memorial held a month later in Torrance, California
Torrance, California
Torrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...
was attended by friends and family, including Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
congressman Dana Rohrabacher
Dana Rohrabacher
Dana Tyron Rohrabacher is the U.S. Representative for , and previously the 45th and 42nd, serving since 1989. He is a member of the Republican Party...
, authors Victor Koman
Victor Koman
Victor Koman is an American science fiction and fantasy writer and agorist. A three time winner of the Prometheus Award, Koman is mainly popular in the libertarian community. He is the owner of the publishing house ....
and Brad Linaweaver
Brad Linaweaver
Bradford Swain Linaweaver is a science fiction writer and screenwriting for low budget movies.The novella version of his novel 'Moon of Ice' was a Nebula Award finalist and the novel length version won a Prometheus Award....
, and libertarian Jeff Riggenbach
Jeff Riggenbach
Jeff Riggenbach is an American libertarian journalist, author, editor, broadcaster, and educator.Riggenbach's first book, In Praise of Decadence , argued that the baby boomers turned out to be far more libertarian in their personal philosophy than had been expected.His second book, Why American...
.
External links
- Agorism.info has archived Konkin writings and pamphlets in PDF format
- Interview with Konkin
- The New Libertarian Manifesto
- SEK3's history of the libertarian movement
- Konkin on Libertarian Strategy, by Murray RothbardMurray RothbardMurray Newton Rothbard was an American author and economist of the Austrian School who helped define capitalist libertarianism and popularized a form of free-market anarchism he termed "anarcho-capitalism." Rothbard wrote over twenty books and is considered a centrally important figure in the...
- Sam Konkin and Libertarian Theory, by David GordonDavid Gordon (philosopher)David Gordon is a libertarian philosopher and intellectual historian influenced by Rothbardian views of economics. He is a senior fellow at the Ludwig von Mises Institute and editor of "The Mises Review."...
- J. Neil Schulman's tribute to SEK3
- KoPubCo back issues of New Libertarian
- Murray Rothbard, "Konkin on Libertarian Strategy" followed by Samuel E. Konkin, "Reply to Rothbard" at AnthonyFlood.com
- Obituary for SEK3 by Jeff Riggenbach
- Obituary for Sam Konkin by Phil Osborn