Xenophage
02-12-2009, 12:49 PM
I've got something here that every anarcho-capitalist and everyone interested in anarcho-capitalism should read. Before I launch into my spiel, I'll give the link: http://www.abelard.org/e-f-russell.php
As a minarchist my own political utopia includes abolishing just about everything government-related, except for the courts and the military.
Anarcho-capitalists take it one step further and get rid of those as well. I've gotten into plenty of arguments with you guys on here, but I've always been deeply drawn to the idea. If I could live in a society with a super-majority of pure libertarians, I would.
I've been around libertarianism all my life, because my father is a libertarian and has been off-and-on politically active in Alaska since the mid eighties. However, my first real intellectual exposure to libertarian philosophy, where I went "Aha! I get this!" came in the form of a science fiction novel, "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress," by Robert Heinlein. Even despite my subsequent exposure to Ayn Rand, Heinlein probably had the greatest influence on my particular brand of libertarian ideology. In fact, science fiction stories seem to me the greatest wealth of argument for libertarianism in literature today.
My first exposure to pure anarcho-capitalist thought came in the form of a novel by anarcho-capitalist science fiction writer L. Neil Smith. If you're a libertarian and you've never read "The Probability Broach" you owe it to yourself to check out a copy. Its a riveting crime story set in a parallel Universe where history took a sharp turn when The Whiskey Rebellion was successful (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_Rebellion). As a result, the United States becomes an anarcho-capitalist ideal society (The North American Confederacy), complete with private courts and everything.
Anyway, this story I've linked to by Eric Frank Russel is a short story, not a novel, and a fairly quick and entertaining read. While "The Probability Broach" focuses primarily on how crime is handled in an anarcho-capitalist society, this one focuses on something even tougher: What happens when an anarcho-capitalist society is beset upon by a great imperial military power with the intent to dominate? I first read this story back when I was in High School. My dad sent me a link to this online copy, and I felt inclined to share it! Enjoy.
As a minarchist my own political utopia includes abolishing just about everything government-related, except for the courts and the military.
Anarcho-capitalists take it one step further and get rid of those as well. I've gotten into plenty of arguments with you guys on here, but I've always been deeply drawn to the idea. If I could live in a society with a super-majority of pure libertarians, I would.
I've been around libertarianism all my life, because my father is a libertarian and has been off-and-on politically active in Alaska since the mid eighties. However, my first real intellectual exposure to libertarian philosophy, where I went "Aha! I get this!" came in the form of a science fiction novel, "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress," by Robert Heinlein. Even despite my subsequent exposure to Ayn Rand, Heinlein probably had the greatest influence on my particular brand of libertarian ideology. In fact, science fiction stories seem to me the greatest wealth of argument for libertarianism in literature today.
My first exposure to pure anarcho-capitalist thought came in the form of a novel by anarcho-capitalist science fiction writer L. Neil Smith. If you're a libertarian and you've never read "The Probability Broach" you owe it to yourself to check out a copy. Its a riveting crime story set in a parallel Universe where history took a sharp turn when The Whiskey Rebellion was successful (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_Rebellion). As a result, the United States becomes an anarcho-capitalist ideal society (The North American Confederacy), complete with private courts and everything.
Anyway, this story I've linked to by Eric Frank Russel is a short story, not a novel, and a fairly quick and entertaining read. While "The Probability Broach" focuses primarily on how crime is handled in an anarcho-capitalist society, this one focuses on something even tougher: What happens when an anarcho-capitalist society is beset upon by a great imperial military power with the intent to dominate? I first read this story back when I was in High School. My dad sent me a link to this online copy, and I felt inclined to share it! Enjoy.