Practical Anarchy “Practical Anarchy ” is the second in a three-volume series on anarchy. The first volume is “Everyday Anarchy” – the third is “Achieving Anarchy.” Freedomain Radio is the largest and most popular philosophy show on the Web, and was a “Top 10 Finalist” in the 2007 Podcast Awards. Please visit us at www.freedomainradio.com . The show survives entirely on voluntary donations – if you find this book helpful in any way, please donate at www.freedomainradio.com/donate.html For more books, or to purchase a print version of this book, please visit www.freedomainradio.com/books.html You can download more free books at www.freedomainradio.com/free Please feel free to distribute this book to whomever you think would benefit from it, but please do not modify the contents. Stefan Mo lyneux, MA 1 | P a g e By the same author: On Truth: The Tyranny of Illusion Universally Preferable Behavior: A Rational Proof of Secular Ethics Real–Time Relationships: The Logic of Love The God of Atheists (A Novel) Available at http://www.freedomainradio.com/books.html For my beloved wife Christina, who teaches me all that is true, and shows me everything that is possible… I would like to thank the listeners of Freedomain Radio, whose passion, generosity and participation has made this book – and all the books to come – possible. Thank you for the gift of this time. Thanks also to my most excellent reviewers and proofreaders, Charlotte and Greg – as well as Karl Bennion for his wonderful cello playing. For more, please visit http://www.youtube.com/KarlCello . Any errors that remain are, of course, solely my responsibility. Freedomain Radio is one of the most popular philosophy podcasts on the Internet, and was a Top 10 Finalist in the 2007 Podcast Awards. Please visit Freedomain Radio at www.freedomainradio.com for more free podcasts, books and videos – as well as a thriving message board. The Freedomain Library, Volume 6 Version 1.0, June 25, 2008 2 | P a g e CONTENTS Preface ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Part 1: Methodology .................................................................................. 10 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................ 10 Limitations........................................................................................................................................................................... 11 The Answer? ....................................................................................................................................................................... 14 The Argument from Apocalypse ................................................................................................................................. 17 A Merely Personal Confession… ................................................................................................................................. 23 A Few Principles… ............................................................................................................................................................ 26 Using the past to justify the future… .................................................................................................................... 28 You are not the only kind person on the planet… .......................................................................................... 28 Statism and Isolation .................................................................................................................................................. 32 Relative Risk................................................................................................................................................................... 36 Collective Defense: An Example of Methodology ................................................................................................ 36 Why Invade? ................................................................................................................................................................... 37 Invading Anarchy ......................................................................................................................................................... 38 Deactivated Money ...................................................................................................................................................... 41 Statist National “Defense”: A Critical Example ..................................................................................................... 42 Which sector does more to protect you and your property – the public or the private?.......... 44 Part 2: Reasoning ..................................................................................... 45 Introduction: The Six Questions ................................................................................................................................. 45 Anarchism – Frequently Asked Questions ............................................................................................................. 47 Isn’t Anarchism ‘Bad’? ................................................................................................................................................ 47 But if there is no government, how can the inevitable conflicts in human society be resolved?47 3 | P a g e For somebody who is an anarchist, you sure do sound like a politician! Wasn’t that just a complete dodge of the question? ........................................................................................................................... 48 But what about the roads? ....................................................................................................................................... 48 Okay – here’s a scenario for you: a guy builds a road that completely encircles a suburban neighborhood, and then charges $1 million for anyone to cross that road. Isn’t he holding everyone who lives in that neighborhood hostage? ...................................................................................... 49 All right, smarty-pants – what about this: the company that supplies water to a neighborhood suddenly decides to increase its rates Tenfold – people are going to be forced to pay the exorbitant price, right? .............................................................................................................................................. 49 Okay – what if two DROs have different rules – isn’t that just going to result in endless civil war? ................................................................................................................................................................................... 49 But – won’t the most successful DRO just arm itself, violently eliminate all the other DROs, and emerge as a new government? ............................................................................................................................... 50 Are There Any Examples Of Anarchic Societies Being Successful In The Past? ................................. 50 How can a society without a government pay for national defense? ..................................................... 51 What about education? .............................................................................................................................................. 52 Yes, but how will poor children get an education if it is not paid for through taxes? ..................... 53 Disproving the State: Four Arguments Against Government ......................................................................... 54 Anarchy, Violence and the State ................................................................................................................................. 56 Does more government equal less violence? ................................................................................................... 56 Principle 1: Risk ............................................................................................................................................................ 57 Principle 2: Proximity ................................................................................................................................................ 58 Principle 3: Externalization of Costs .................................................................................................................... 58 Principle 4: Deferment ............................................................................................................................................... 59 Principle 5: Propaganda ............................................................................................................................................ 59 War, Profit and the State ................................................................................................................................................ 60 The Cost of Destruction ............................................................................................................................................. 62 The Risks of Destruction ........................................................................................................................................... 63 The Risks of Personal Retaliation.........................................................................................................................