There are some very intersting modern movements for liberty currently brewing in America such as The Free State Project or the The Campaign for Liberty. However, none of these are quite as compelling or daring as what The Seasteading Institute has planned. Based upon the ideas of Wayne Gramlich and modernized by Patri Friedman, their mission is “to create permanent dwellings on the ocean – homesteading the high seas.” Their need relies upon the fact that “the world needs a new frontier, a place where those who are dissatisfied with our current civilization can go to build a different (and hopefully better) one.” To do this, they hope to achieve miniature sovereign nations by building modified, attachable oil derreks in international waters to obfuscate international law and empower individuals to break free from national governments and start their own societies. They are motivated by the disatisfaction of the current political climate, and are seeking “people who, whatever our ideals, want to stop arguing about [politics], stop proselytizing them, and start living them.“
This Tuesday, the Cato Institute will be holding a policy forum feautring Patri Friedman the executive director of the Seasteading Institute, Doug Bandow, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute; and Arnold Kling Adjunct Scholar, Cato Institute. They will answerse to such questions as:
Can seasteading succeed where past plans have not? Are people willing to brave the high seas for liberty? Economist Arnold Kling will address the viability of the project in light of similar efforts in the past. Doug Bandow will address whether existing governments will tolerate seasteads, and specifically how the international Law of the Sea Treaty might complicate matters. Please join us for an in-depth discussion of the prospects of this exciting new effort.
The forum will be available on Tuesday, April 7 at 9AM PST through a live stream here. Check it out!
