Justice - too important to leave to government

[liberty_student]

@dbooksta

Without a coercive social contract (i.e., at least minarchic government or “authority of justice”) to address these questions, we truly face the chaos that most people equate with anarchy.

How will you have an authority of justice? Because it wields force? How is that any different than might makes right, or slavery?

@dbooksta

The key question to which anarchists have not provided a practical answer is, “What laws and enforcement are legitimate?”

Practical by whose standard? This is just rubbish, based on your subjective evaluation of what is and is not possible.

@dbooksta

If one man believes his rights are infringed by a public insult, and another doesn’t, then without a communal mechanism for establishing bona fide rights and also for establishing legitimate means of enforcement anything is possible.

Why mix metaphors? There is no “public”. For the love of it all, you think that coercion is legitimate!

Your whole argument consists of, “We need to institutionalize coercion, to stop coercion!”

[Knight_of_BAAWA]

@dbooksta

The key question to which anarchists have not provided a practical answer is, “What laws and enforcement are legitimate?”

But it has been answered.

@dbooksta

If there is no social contract – imposed coercively even on those who disagree with it – then you get some posses that will beat up a man for biting his thumb at another.

That’s called LIFE! You’re seriously not putting forth the idea that if people aren’t perfectly good, they need a government, are you? Because governments are made OF PEOPLE, you know–the ones who aren’t perfectly good? Way to destroy you own idea.

You want to impress us here? Don’t use self-refuting arguments.

[Spideynw]

I think the problem with this thread has to do with semantics.

Austrians believe there would be law and order without the state. There may even be “governments” in a free society. But they would be consented to by all who are a part of them. There would be no government without consent. But I think it is more that government services would exist in a free society.

[Juan]

@dbooksta

I confess I am a minarchist who respects the theories of the American Founding Fathers and the United States Constitution (as originally conceived).

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,

@dbooksta

…in a society of men he has no right unless he respects the rights of others and others respect his rights, hence his rights exist only as part of a social contract.

So…how is that you ‘respect’ the theories of the so called founding fathers ? To them and to libertarians in general rights exist before any ‘social contract’ is in place.