Via the Distributed Republic comes this from John Hasnas. Just from what Micha quoted it seems rather sensible, and I’m certainly open to private means of defense (both self-provided and hired), but I would expect that the remedial state (distinct from the minimal state in that it subsidizes rather than monopolizes the minimal public goods) would still adjudicate disputes between a person and their security provider and ensure that the latter do not get out of line, in addition of course to preventing any competing state from taking its place (which is really what I’m interested in).
For a good critique of Ed Stringham’s hypothesized version of anarcho-capitalism from its author’s anarcho-capitalist colleague, see Peter Leeson’s “Anarchy, Monopoly and Predation”, which people of the lefty persuasion will like for its attack on concentrated power in “private” hands. Stringham joins up with Bryan Caplan against Tyler Cowen to explain why there will sufficient cooperation in anarchy for it to function well but not enough to create monopolies in Networks, Law and the Paradox of Cooperation. Per Bylund attacks all anarchists who speculate on how their preferred version of anarchy will replace the state as “blueprint anarchists” in The Statist Mindset of Anarchists. I rarely get tired of pointing out what Bob Black noticed in My Anarchism Problem: many visions of “anarchy” don’t really seem stateless, and it seems all anarchists actually agree on is to call whatever they dislike (in Bob’s case it’s work) “the State”.
December 5, 2007 at 8:27 am
I’ve done a good deal of work on fleshing out the form and content of a stateless society, which might be of interest to you and your readers… http://www.freedomainradio.com
Best wishes,
Stefan Molyneux, MA
December 5, 2007 at 1:23 pm
Wow, a Bob Black reference.
December 5, 2007 at 2:12 pm
Bob Black isn’t that unknown, is he? With witticisms like his “Every [ethnic group member] a [weapon]” litany, that would be a crying shame.
Stefan, for a long time I’ve thought about railing against the people I call “worse-is-better libertarians”, of which you are my prime example. I’ve got a blog to do that on now, but currently I’m a bit busy. Perhaps in a month or so. I don’t go all the way in agreeing with Per Bylund in that I think imagining possible futures is worthwhile, but I also think fleshing things out as thoroughly as you have done seems somewhat statist. One would think people like Burke, Hayek, Popper and so on would have taught us that nobody can plan out a society (if they could, that would be a point in favor of the state’s central planning) and that we must simply see what works with each individual being able to freely try out their ideas.
February 21, 2010 at 3:50 pm
[…] led that pass, but I demand better from those that can deliver. I dished out arguments about the remedial state and Bruce Benson’s economic analysis of the provision of law & order in hopes that […]