Kevin Amos Carson American political scientist, publicist, mutualist Date of Birth: 01.01.1963 Country: USA

1. American Political Economist, Publicist, and Individualist Anarchist
2. Ideas and Principles
3. Free Market vs. Capitalism
4. Critical of "Vulgar Libertarianism"
5. Research Career

American Political Economist, Publicist, and Individualist Anarchist

Kevin Carsonis an American political economist, publicist, and a prominent advocate for mutualism, an individualist anarchist and anarcho-syndicalist viewpoint. He is a member of the Alliance of Libertarian Left and the Voluntary Cooperation Movement. Carson's major works include "Studies in Mutualist Political Economy," "Organization Theory: A Libertarian Perspective," and "The Iron Fist Behind the Invisible Hand." He has also written extensively for online journals and blogs, including Just Things, The Art of the Possible, the P2P Foundation, and his own blog, Mutualist. Some of his articles have appeared in the print journal The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty. Carson's writings on political economy have been cited in the popular reference "Anarchy FAQ" and have been the subject of discussion in a 2006 issue of the Journal of Libertarian Studies. Carson is also a Research Fellow at the Center for a Stateless Society.

Ideas and Principles

In addition to the "Big Four" monopolies (land, money, tariffs, and patents) identified by individualist anarchist Benjamin Tucker, Carson argues that the state also transfers wealth to the wealthy by subsidizing organizational centralization, such as the subsidization of transportation and communication. He sees this as something Tucker neglected due to his focus on private market exchanges, but which Carson saw as a problem of organization itself. The theoretical sections of "Studies in Mutualist Political Economy" are presented as an attempt to integrate marginalist critiques into labor theory of value.

Carson also strongly criticizes intellectual property. One major focus of his recent work has been on decentralization of production, as well as the informal economy and home-based economy.

Free Market vs. Capitalism

Unlike some other market anarchists, Carson defines capitalism in historical rather than idealized terms, emphasizing the history of state intervention in market economies. He writes that "[t]hese state interventions are what distinguish capitalism from the free market." He does not define capitalism in an idealized sense, but instead focuses on what he calls "actually existing capitalism" when he uses the term "capitalism." According to him, "[f]ree-market capitalism is, historically speaking, an oxymoron." However, he does not conflict with anarcho-capitalists who define the term differently.

In response to accusations of misusing the term "capitalism," Carson states that he seeks to deliberately revive what he claims to be the original meaning of the word in order to "make a point." He argues that "the term 'capitalism,' as it was originally used, did not refer to a free market, but to a type of state-class system in which capitalists controlled the state and the state intervened in the market on their behalf." Carson believes that "actually existing capitalism" is based on "a grand act of theft, just as in feudalism."

Carson argues that in a truly free-market system, the ability to extract profits from other's labor and capital would be minimal. Carson believes that the fact that wealth still concentrates in a class hierarchy is due to the state's intervention to protect the ruling class, which it does by providing a government money monopoly, granting patents and subsidies to corporations, imposing regressive taxes, and using military intervention to secure access to foreign markets. Carson's main thesis is that under a genuinely free-market economy, a divorce between labor and property and the subordination of labor to capital would not be possible, resulting in a classless society where individuals could easily choose between entrepreneurialism, freelance work for a just wage, and participation in cooperatives (see "The Iron Fist Behind the Invisible Hand").

Critical of "Vulgar Libertarianism"

Carson credits himself with coining the pejorative term "vulgar libertarianism," which refers to the use of free-market ideology to defend corporate capitalism and economic inequality. According to Carson, he derived the term from Karl Marx's phrase "vulgar economy," which Marx used to describe an economic orthodoxy that "willfully becomes more and more apologetic, and tries hard to talk out of existence the contradictions [existing in economic life]." In "Studies in Mutualist Political Economy," Carson writes that

>The "free market" ideal society of [vulgar libertarians] sounds like nothing more or less than actually existing capitalism minus the regulatory-welfare state—a sort of hypertrophied version of 19th-century robber-baron capitalism; or better yet, a society "reformed" by Pinochet and his successors, with Milton Friedman and the Chicago Boys playing the role of Plato.

Much of Carson's writing involves extended critiques of various writers he perceives as vulgar libertarians. His blog has been called a "vulgar libertarian watch" because of its recurring theme. Among the economists and organizations Carson accuses of vulgar libertarianism are Ludwig von Mises, Milton Friedman, Madsen Pirie, Radley Balko, and the Adam Smith Institute.

The term is now widely used by free-market and egalitarian libertarians and anarchists who reject corporate capitalism.

Research Career

In November 2008, the Center for a Stateless Society announced that it would hire Carson as its Research Fellow and its first salaried staff member. Since January 2009, Carson has produced various research articles for the Center. He has also written numerous political essays and commentaries on topics such as privatization, the Obama administration's Department of Justice, and the "war on drugs."