The Need for Government - A Fallacy?

Is it just me, or does pretty much every argument for the necessity of government boil down to the argument from personal incredulity, "I can't think of how X can be true, therefore X is false."  These arguments come from Left, Right, Center and even radical Libertarian minarchists.  The story is always the same:

We have to have government because...

  • ... I can't conceive of how we would have roads without them.  
  • ... I can't imagine who would take out the trash.
  • ... it's impossible for people to pay for their own healthcare. 
  • ... no one would be able to keep law and order.  
  • ... I can't imagine parents educating their own kids. 
  • ... I don't see how businesses will regulate themselves such that they will produce high quality, safe products.  
  • ... I can't come up with a way to make basic science research profitable without subsidies.  
  • ... it would just be utter chaos without it.  
Perhaps I am missing something.  I'm sure you'll let me know.  

6 comments:

  1. It always made no sense to me, maybe they are right and libertarians are just wired different. Could it be we are completely of base? You can do Rothbard's Fable of the Shoes (and I am not a huge Rothbardian but it is near perfect in its argument) and they would just stare at you and go "but the children" or some damn crap like it. Since we are not allowed to even conceive, much less discuss changing course I guess we all get to swirl around the bowl together happy to have government making sure we are ok and treated "fairly" in any and all endeavors.

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    1. I agree. Until I hear a really sound argument of a different theme, I will assume we are not the ones off base. I wasn't familiar with Rothbard's fable, but it's funny, Ayn Rand I'm pretty sure used a very similar one. I wonder who influenced whom. It is one of my goals to simply raise these questions in simple terms so that maybe just a few people will think about it. Thanks for your support.

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  2. The problem is a lack of education in sound economic thought. Consequently there is no understanding of what markets are, how they work, etc. That's what needs to be addressed.

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    1. Agreed. I think a practical cure for most people would be to operate a business. I'm afraid the classroom hasn't been cutting it.

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  3. I would argue that this has to do with the fact that people don't know of any alternative, even when libertarians claim alternatives will magically spring up in a free society. Right now, shit looks like it's going to hit the fan sooner than later in the US and many places in Europe (and all over the world as well) and yet very few people are bothering with creating new institutions as it is. Maybe if libertarians and market anarchists spent more time building the new society *now* instead of insisting to everyone that their needs will be met some way as soon as the state dies people will be much more receptive.

    I am a mutualist anarchist, for the record.

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    1. Julia,
      Thanks for reading and providing your insights. I'm not particularly familiar with the mutual anarchist position, but I'm glad that you provided a framework for your comments. I briefly checked out your blog before work this morning. The problem that I see with your suggestion is that building a new society, particularly on voluntary, nonviolent terms, is temporary at best and insurmountable at worst unless you have the minds of a vast majority of the people. I have therefore taken the mission of doing my best to educate as many people as possible on the merits of living a voluntary life. I am strong in the conviction that if everyone were to do this, a "capitalist" system of free exchange is the system that would emerge. This is simply by definition as I view true capitalism as a peaceful framework of free exchange. Please be careful not to confuse this with the fascist, crony system that we have here in the States and persists throughout the "free world". Further, it is not my position that a market economy would provide for all of the needs of everyone (or anyone) as this is impossible for any system. It is just the consistent application of peace in everyday life.

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