Lecture series · recorded 2008–2009
The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude
The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude is a free lecture series (5 recordings, 3.8 hours) you can stream or download at freecapitalists.org, with 2 speakers.
La Boétie investigates the nature of the state and its status as a tiny minority of the population that adheres to different rules and claims the authority to rule everyone else, maintaining a monopoly on law. What happens when consent is withdrawn? Narrated by Floy Lilley.
Read the book: The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude by Etienne de la Boetie, free to download here.
Cover painting: Montaigne keeps watch at the deathbed of Etienne de La Boetie, Germignan, August 1563. See every painting in the art gallery.
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01
20:16 Download MP3
The Politics of Obedience: Part I 2008
From The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude by Étienne de La Boétie. Pages 39-47 in the text, as narrated by Floy Lilley.
Political Theory
Read the transcript 2,722 words
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02
49:17 Download MP3
The Politics of Obedience: Part II 2008
From The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude by Étienne de La Boétie. Pages 49-69 in the text, as narrated by Floy Lilley.
Political Theory
Read the transcript 6,808 words
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03
23:35 Download MP3
The Politics of Obedience: Part III 2008
From The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude by Étienne de La Boétie. Pages 71-80 in the text, as narrated by Floy Lilley.
Political Theory
Read the transcript 3,081 words
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04
1:07:15 Download MP3
The Political Thought of Étienne de La Boétie 2009
The Introduction to The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude by Étienne de La Boétie. Pages 7-36 in the text, as narrated by Floy Lilley.
Political Theory
Read the transcript 8,299 words
- 05 1:07:15 Download MP3
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Speakers
Recording dates, summaries and topics for 4 of these 5 lectures come from the Mises Institute's page for The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude, checked 2026-09-27.
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About this series
- Is The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude free to listen to?
- Yes. All 5 mirrored recordings stream in the browser or download as audio, at no cost and with no signup.
- How long is The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude?
- 5 recordings, 3.8 hours in total.
- When was The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude recorded?
- 2008–2009, per the recording dates recovered for this series.
- Is the book behind The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude available here?
- Yes. The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude by Etienne de la Boetie is in this archive as a free download, on its own page.
- Is there a transcript of The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude?
- Yes. Every lecture in the series has one, 29,209 words in total, free to read on each lecture's page and searchable in the browser.
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