Seven virtuous ideas that require anarchy
There are many virtuous ideas which most people wish to see spread to all of humanity. But contrary to the seemingly endless propaganda that is fed to us from government-approved sources about how the state is necessary for these ideas to be fulfilled, these ideas are actually incompatible with any kind of state. Let us look at seven virtuous ideas and see why they require anarchy.
Rule of law requires anarchy. Rule of law is the idea that people should be governed by laws rather than by the arbitrary decisions of rulers. A state is a group of people who exercise a monopoly on initiatory force in a certain geographical area. People who have a monopoly on initiatory force necessarily have a monopoly on the enforcement of laws. This means that they can choose the nature of the law and the enforcement thereof. Thus, in the presence of a state, those who wield state power rule the law. The law does not rule them. Therefore, the only possibility for rule of law is to have no state.
Freedom of association requires anarchy. Freedom of association is the right to choose those with whom one associates. A private person or business may not force peers or customers to associate with them. Criminals may try to do so, but they will suffer legal consequences from the state for doing so. One aspect that distinguishes the state from other people or organizations is that the state forces people to pay for and use its services and suffers no legal consequences for doing so. This violates freedom of association. Therefore, the only possibility for freedom of association is to have no state.
Peace requires anarchy. Peace is the status of being free from violence. A state is a group of people who exercise a monopoly on initiatory force in a certain geographical area. Initiatory force involves the use of violence. Thus, in the presence of a state, those who wield state power will always be a threat to peace. Therefore, the only possibility for peace is to have no state.
Justice requires anarchy. Justice is the process and result of dealing with disputes in an impartial manner. In the presence of a state, its agents are allowed to do that which is considered criminal for anyone else to do; namely, functions of the state which involve initiatory force. If some people are allowed to perform certain actions that others are forbidden to perform, then members of the former group of people will not be treated impartially with respect to members of the latter group of people. Therefore, the only possibility for justice is to have no state.
Equality requires anarchy. In the presence of a state, its power will be sought by various special interest groups who seek favors from the state. But those favors must come from somewhere. As the state does not create, but rather steals, redistributes, and consumes, what it gives to some must be taken from others. Organizations for the advancement of a particular gender identity will thus be implicitly advocating against any other gender identity. Whichever gender identity has the most successful advocacy organizations will thereby have inequality in its favor. Therefore, the only possibility for gender equality is to have no state. This argument may be restated for ethnicity, age groups, the disabled, or any other classification of people.
Private property rights require anarchy. Private property is property which a individual has an exclusive right to control and use. In the presence of a state, the state will fund its activities through taxation, which is the taking of private property for state use. If any person or organization may take property from its rightful owner without penalty, then the owner’s right to exclusive control and use has been violated. Therefore, the only possibility for private property rights is to have no state.
Liberty requires anarchy. Liberty is the freedom to do as one wishes while respecting the right of other people to do likewise. While anarchism offers no guarantee that the simple absence of a state will be sufficient to give us liberty, logic shows that anarchism is a necessary precondition of liberty. As shown above, the state makes liberty impossible, so the only possibility for liberty is to have no state.
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