The Mystery of Fascism: David Ramsay Steele's Greatest Hits Paperback – November 11, 2019

He deals with a range of topics, from Atkins diet to the question of why it is rational (for some people) to engage in gambling (answer: because gambling is productive – it makes gamblers happy). He writes convincingly on the virtues of selecting politicians by lot rather than by voting. (Think of all the money saved by doing away with the need for election campaigns.) He tackles Scott Adams on why we might be living in a simulation, and the Atkins diet from the point of view of “should we always trust the experts?” (Answer: clearly not always). And many more, including the centerpiece of the work on the history of fascism, which provides a detailed account of what the term meant when used by its advocates (from Mussolini through Toscanini on down) as contrasted with the way the term has been twisted by those who use it today as an all-purpose term of political abuse. Ramsay Steele’s writings have been an open secret for more than 20 years amongst libertarians, who relish his ability to deal with detailed – and on the face of it rather technical – subjects not merely in witty and highly readable ways, but also in ways which lead to surprising conclusions. Who would have thought that it is possible to provide a moral argument on behalf of meat-eating (based on a lemma to the effect that we are not under any moral obligation to reduce the amount of animal suffering below what it is in the wild)? Who would have come up with the idea that we should worship carbon for all the wonderful things it has enabled, and will continue to enable on our planet for many millennia hence, not least of which are human beings and all other products of evolution, including books like this one.

I have always enjoyed reading the writings of David Ramsay Steele, whether it be with his libertarian views on politics and government, or with his views on modern day atheism... or really any other topic of the day. He provides humor and wit throughout this book, as he gives some controversial opinions on a variety of issues that have remained relevant through the years. What I liked most about this collection was that I could disagree with Steele on a particular topic, yet could come away questioning my previous views or appreciating his. Any reader will appreciate the way he puts forth arguments, regardless of ones views before, or after, reading the book. I highly recommend buying this book so you can experience Steele yourself.