private law

Archive for private law

Anarchy, State, and Government: No Means No

Sometimes you can read something that you’ve heard a thousand times before, but for whatever reason it hits you in a new way that changes your whole perspective. That recently happened to me when I was reading Albert Jay Nock’s Our Enemy, the State. To understand the context, you should know that I am a […]

Questions From the Mighty Samson

Samson Corwell sent me some good questions on an-cap legal theory but I am too busy to answer. He said I could post them here. Feel free to respond in the comments… An important thing to keep in my mind that a society’s legal system is an altogether separate matter from its form of government […]

“If You Hate the Government So Much, Move to Somalia!”

I tackle this common objection in my latest LibertyChat article. An excerpt: People lose the ability to think rationally when it comes to politics, so let’s change the context for a moment. Suppose I say, “You can get a better night’s sleep if the room is dark.” Would it be a good put-down for a […]

Private Judicial Rulings and Law Enforcement

I looked this up because some people were arguing about these issues in the comments of a previous post. I’ve given this talk at Mises U several times, but I think I really nailed the private law enforcement part in this version. Specifically, from 4:00 – 22:00. I talk about the distinction between being morally […]

Just to Be Clear, No An-Cap Ever DID Claim Utopia

In the comments of my lighthearted post about Gene Callahan’s Poconos gulag, K.P. wrote: “At least maybe claims of libertarian society being utopian will cease now.” Unfortunately, I don’t know whether K.P. is just being a wiseguy along with me, or he is really putting his foot down and hoping that Rothbardians, going forward, stop […]

Maybe Libertarians DO Need to Talk About “Privilege” After All?

I’m just kidding with the post title, but here’s what prompted it: Gene Callahan has bought his second (?) vacation/rental home in a private community in the Poconos, and finds that it is more oppressive than the local government he faces in the [edited to add:] rural U.S.: [T]here were a number of small trees […]

The Bigger Threat: The Police State or Looting?

You can guess my answer. Here’s an excerpt, but you should follow the link for my surprise conclusion! But let’s put aside the specific triggers of riots and looting, and take them as given. It still doesn’t follow that we need a strong State to protect innocent lives. No, as I’ve explained elsewhere (try here and here), a […]

How Would a Free Society Handle Quarantines?

I tackle this weighty issue at my latest LibertChat post. An excerpt: In my view, the answer here is not to try to “deduce” the blanket answer from first principles, and declare that in a free society, we would necessarily see either outcome X or outcome Y. Instead, I think we should be humble and acknowledge that […]