Thursday, February 14, 2008

Minarchy vs. Anarchy

Arnold Kling writes:
Those of us who are "minarchists," meaning that we favor government that is limited to adjudicating conflict, have no reliable mechanism for restraining government.
Lest you jump to the conclusion that anarchy is therefore preferable to minarchy, consider this: Anarchy offers no reliable mechanism for restraining renegades (i.e., thugs and warlords) who choose not to participate in markets for defense services, or to honor contracts between those who do participate in such markets.

Related posts:
"Fundamentalist Libertarians, Anarcho-Capitalists, and Self-Defense" (22 Apr 2005)
"Another Thought about Anarchy" (10 May 2005)
"Anarcho-Capitalism vs. the State" (26 May 2005)
"Rights and the State" (13 Jun 2005)
"But Wouldn't Warlords Take Over?" (24 Jul 2005)
"Liberty or Self-Indulgence?" (10 Oct 2005)
"My View of Warlordism, Seconded" (15 Dec 2005)
"Anarchy: An Empty Concept" (20 Dec 2005)
"The Fatal Naïveté of Anarcho-Libertarianism" (28 Jan 2006)
"The Meaning of Liberty" (25 Mar 2006)
"A Critique of Extreme Libertarianism" (27 Jul 2007)
"Anarchistic Balderdash" (17 Aug 2007)
"Anarchistic Whining" (04 Jan 2008)
"Wisdom from Mises" (04 Jan 2008)