As stated on the book’s cover, The Psychology of Liberty “is a visionary journey explaining a novel political system of freedom and justice named Self-Governing Capitalism. Objectivity and logic are utilized to discover truth both psychologically and politically. The book paints an inspiring picture of a world in which objective values of individuals are held supreme.”
Here you will find the preface and table of contents, with links to the book’s chapters. Here’s the free and downloadable pdf version of the book. To purchase a physical copy: http://bookstore.xlibris.com/Products/SKU-0002496002/The-Psychology-of-Liberty.aspx
As of 2007, I released it (and everything else on this site) into the public domain, or copylefted it, which means that you don’t need to get permission to use what suits you. As the saying goes, all rites reversed; reprint what you like. If you want the full explanation as to why “intellectual property” is not a valid form of property, please check out chapter six of Complete Liberty: The Demise of the State and the Rise of Voluntary America, my second book.
So, is there in fact a rational ideal in the political context? The Psychology of Liberty answers with a resounding yes. It describes a noncontradictory political system called Self-Governing Capitalism. The “unalienable Rights” outlined by the Founders of the United States of America, particularly “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”—and just as importantly, property—are analyzed in the philosophical context of past and present cultures and in today’s coercive governmental and status-quo social institutions.
Both personal and political enlightenment are explored with the guidance of logic, the method of noncontradictory identification. This yields a social/political system in which individuals and groups treat each other with understanding and respect. A culture of high self-esteem, happiness, voluntarism, and accompanying justice is thereby promoted.
This totally free market system is one in which people embrace objective values and enforce only those laws that are based on the principle of individual rights (i.e., objective laws). In other words, people decide to interact with others in voluntary, mutually advantageous ways, rather than in aggressive, destructive, and haphazard ways. A new society therefore emerges from the idea that initiating force against others is contradictory; only retaliatory force (i.e., self-defense) is justifiable.
To achieve this ideal political vision naturally requires much understanding of ourselves—of human nature. For example, by grasping the nature of conceptual knowledge, we can determine the requirements of living with others on Earth. This also entails examination of the nature of reality. Both greater introspection and extrospection are needed, which involves raising the level of our awareness about key issues and problems—problems that are personal, societal, and global. Though these are not small tasks, they are still within our capability and, when accomplished, provide amazing benefits. Motivation is key, and this book hopefully can serve as a motivator.
Of course, there is still more to explore and explain, as I discovered in my studying during the summer of 2019, such as a paradigm shift in human organization and stage of consciousness called Teal, which involves self-management, wholeness, and purpose. I created a page on my counseling site to feature my highlights of Frederic Laloux’s groundbreaking 2014 book, Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage in Human Consciousness. Here is the invaluable Teal resources site:
https://www.reinventingorganizations.com/resources.html
In concert with newfound trust in humans to meet needs without sacrifice (including self-sacrifice), accelerated healing and growing, or integration, can happen with the therapeutic use of psychedelics, such as psilocybin. When taken with an informed and attuned mindset in a safe and nurturing setting, invaluable insights can be generated. The human brain’s default mode network of ordinary consciousness and thought processes becomes interrupted by serotonin agonists, opening up myriad connections to meaningful imagery and important aspects of one’s life and reality. Further empathetic understanding of emotions and integration of love, beauty, and compassion can be attained. You’ll find this process as number six in my list of psychological methods for integration and interpersonal harmony, in order to enable a society of freedom and respect.
Clearly, we need to delve extensively into human nature and psychology in order to realize the social and cultural changes necessary to bring about a free market that’s filled with authentic, benevolent, and intensely curious individuals, groups, and organizations—people who can attain and maintain BRIE, an acronym devised by interpersonal neurobiologist Dan Siegel, meaning Balance, Resilience, Insight, and Empathy. Since society is comprised of individuals who can interact in win/win ways, much focus is placed on personal enlightenment in all three of my books. Philosophy and mental health need to be examined with reason, our means of apprehending reality and gaining knowledge, and with emotional attunement, our means of heeding evaluative signals and appraisals based on met and unmet needs. As psychologist Nathaniel Branden noted, we need to think clearly in order to feel deeply, and we need to feel deeply in order to think clearly.
As mentioned in the The Psychology of Liberty’s preface, the philosophical ideas of Ayn Rand and the psychological ideas of Nathaniel Branden proved invaluable in the book’s creation. Thus, I encourage readers to peruse their works; here is a list of their books. With the encountering of great ideas comes the necessary critical examination of them in relation to one’s own experiences, learning, and perspectives. Eventually, if one is so motivated, an objective method of thinking develops.