Have you ever been talking to someone about libertarianism and the topic ends up being steered towards how a society would function without a state? It’s frustrating, but if you’re honest about where you stand (and I certainly always am), you’re going to end up revealing that you do actually believe that literally anything that the state provides that is necessary or good could be better provided by the market.
So of course, people will without a doubt fire back with the following questions:
“What about the police? Some rich guy could just hire the best security force to overrun everyone else!”
“What about the courts? Why would I appear in court in a stateless society? What would prevent someone from hiring his friend to be the judge?”
“Do you actually believe that your little libertarian paradise would survive an attack from a foreign nation that decides it wants to take you over? You wouldn’t stand a chance!”
We do have answers to these questions, but it’s often tough to get more than ten seconds into a response before you’re cut off with another question or objection. Fortunately, Tom Woods covered these topics on a few recent episodes of his podcast, The Tom Woods Show. He brought on the great Bob Murphy to help answer these and many more related questions about how a stateless society would likely function. So when you realize that you’re not likely to be able to get a word in edgewise, just pass these links along.
It’s the division of labor, right?
And if you’re reading this as someone who’s not quite sold on the idea that the state isn’t necessary for a well-functioning society, please give these podcast episodes a listen. They are very well done.
Episode 938: Law Without the State?
Episode 939: Do We Need the State for Defense?
And don’t forget, Slappy and I have talked about private security in a free society way back in Episode 12 of our podcast, entitled “Private security in a libertarian society.”
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