"Aye, free! Free as a tethered ass!" —W.S. Gilbert
"All the affairs of men should be managed by individuals or voluntary associations, and . . . the State should be abolished." —Benjamin Tucker
"You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself." —James Madison
"Fat chance." —Sheldon Richman
Sunday, February 13, 2022
Thought Experiment
You're about to be mugged, with a likelihood of grievous bodily harm or death. You see two buttons. One will produce a city cop to prevent the mugging. The other will abolish the state in its entirety and instantaneously.
I would doubt that either button would work ... In my experience, a disinterested neighbor alarmed by the commotion of the mugging, is preferable to the buttons.
I think in the moment most of us would push the button to produce the city cop to stop from being injured or killed. But it's not really a fair question for someone in that situation. If there was no state then people would form associations to protect themselves against being preyed upon by criminals. But that's not an instantaneous process. If I were not in the moment of being attacked by someone who meant to do me harm I would absolutely press the button to end the state.
I don’t think the underlying question was which option would provide for your safety more effectively in the given moment of crisis. I read it as, are you willing to sustain personal injury, loss, or even death in return for ending the state. I would like to think I’d say yes (end the state), but I’ve never been in a situation that dire.
I would doubt that either button would work ... In my experience, a disinterested neighbor alarmed by the commotion of the mugging, is preferable to the buttons.
ReplyDeleteIs that move kosher in a thought experiment? 🙂
DeleteI think in the moment most of us would push the button to produce the city cop to stop from being injured or killed. But it's not really a fair question for someone in that situation. If there was no state then people would form associations to protect themselves against being preyed upon by criminals. But that's not an instantaneous process. If I were not in the moment of being attacked by someone who meant to do me harm I would absolutely press the button to end the state.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think the underlying question was which option would provide for your safety more effectively in the given moment of crisis. I read it as, are you willing to sustain personal injury, loss, or even death in return for ending the state. I would like to think I’d say yes (end the state), but I’ve never been in a situation that dire.
ReplyDelete