Friday, January 5, 2018

Meta-libertarian criticism of anarcho-capitalism

  • Meta-libertarianism: Don't force anyone to accept a particular system. Let each choose for themselves. This does not contradict the ancap idea directly, but ancaps tend to overstate their position, as if history will end and everyone will agree on one best solution.
  • Ancaps criticize the moral justification for the state's special status (there is none). But a moral critique does not advise us when choosing between reform and abolition. Arguably, just abolishing slavery should have been sufficient (and practical problems transitioning from slavery to something else would not excuse hesitation). But even in that simpler case, complications occurred. The state has intertwined itself into our lives in a much more complicated way than slavery did. We can't destroy society in order to save it. We need to cultivate it, to heal it.
  • The innovations they support are not the only ones that might eliminate the problems they criticize. Not everyone agrees that their solutions will work, or would improve our lives compared to some other possible change. As bad as they may be, things can always get worse. 
  • Ancaps declare reform of the government to be impossible, but the evidence they have for this makes it seem unlikely but not impossible. If reform is merely difficult, that undercuts the urgency of the more extreme suggestions.

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