(no subject)
I have a theory which is counterintuitive to most people: the more government there is, the more crime and less security there will be; the less government there is, the less crime and more security there will be.
This theory comes from my different view from most on the origins of government. The common view is that society in its natural state is just a bunch of violent barbarians. By some unexplained and mystical way, a few of those brutes form a government to pacify the other brutes. Apparently, civilization in this view is the result of the magical civilizing force of government emanating across the masses turning savages into fairly peaceful people. How intelligent people could believe such nonsense is a testament to the effectiveness of propaganda. The truth of the matter is that government, rather than being the opposite of what the people actually are, it is in fact a reflection of how the people actually are. It must be a reflection since no government can exist in the long run on force alone. It must be acceptable at least passively to a majority of people. Otherwise, there is revolt and revolution. The character of government is therefore a result of the character and ideas of society in general. If the masses are savage murderers and thieves, the government will be made up of savage murderers and thieves. In other words, if that is the character of society, government is no solution.
The Hobbesian theory that without government, life is violent and short does not take into account the rational nature of human beings. It views people as if they were animals living in a state of nature. There are two ways to gain. Either through peaceful production and trade or through violence. In a society where most people choose the violent means to gain things, they will not, as animals do, steal, plunder, and kill in isolation or in small bands. Since they can reason and think, they will find it in their best interest to gain the affections of the masses or join up with the strongest criminals. The rational nature of human beings will thus always lead violent societies to form governments to better and more effectively institutionalize their actions. The more acceptable crime is to the masses, the bigger and more intrusive the government will be. Massive slavery and theft through taxes, regulations, and wars, and inflation will be seen as acceptable and bringing peace and stability even though it is really the violent actions on a mass scale that government is supposedly set up to counteract. The opposite of common opinion is true. It is not no government which leads to life being brutish and short. It is total government which leads to life being brutish and short. One only has to see the over hundred million people killed by total governments in the past century. Certainly the barbaric societies in Germany, Russia, and China were not the result of too little government since those governments controlled every aspect of society.
If government is based on violent ideas among society, and if the more acceptable violence is to the society, the greater the government will be, this means that the less government there is is an indication of more peaceful attitudes among people. If all government does is tax 1 percent of the economy and only uses those funds to form police and courts, this can only come about because people will only accept that amount of violence, and the government reflects that. If most people accept no violence at all, there will be no government in the sense of one that taxes and monopolizes its actions. Therefore, no government means peace, which means culture, love, charity, and prosperity. In other words, no government means the highest state of civilization. Taxing and monopolistic government is just a criminal gang writ large. So long as most people accept violence, it will exist. If people accept no violence, it will not exist. Government, therefore, is not as most people believe a check on violence and crime. It is in fact rather the institutionalization of that violence and crime. Human nature being what it is, there will always be some in any society who seek the violent means to attain what they want. However, in a society with no taxing government, this means that only the tiniest of minorities seek such a way of life. Crime with no state, particularly violent crime, would be very rare, and most would never encounter it in their lives. As was the case when there was much less government in this country, people could safely and confidently go without locking their doors or being worried about being out alone late at night.
This theory comes from my different view from most on the origins of government. The common view is that society in its natural state is just a bunch of violent barbarians. By some unexplained and mystical way, a few of those brutes form a government to pacify the other brutes. Apparently, civilization in this view is the result of the magical civilizing force of government emanating across the masses turning savages into fairly peaceful people. How intelligent people could believe such nonsense is a testament to the effectiveness of propaganda. The truth of the matter is that government, rather than being the opposite of what the people actually are, it is in fact a reflection of how the people actually are. It must be a reflection since no government can exist in the long run on force alone. It must be acceptable at least passively to a majority of people. Otherwise, there is revolt and revolution. The character of government is therefore a result of the character and ideas of society in general. If the masses are savage murderers and thieves, the government will be made up of savage murderers and thieves. In other words, if that is the character of society, government is no solution.
The Hobbesian theory that without government, life is violent and short does not take into account the rational nature of human beings. It views people as if they were animals living in a state of nature. There are two ways to gain. Either through peaceful production and trade or through violence. In a society where most people choose the violent means to gain things, they will not, as animals do, steal, plunder, and kill in isolation or in small bands. Since they can reason and think, they will find it in their best interest to gain the affections of the masses or join up with the strongest criminals. The rational nature of human beings will thus always lead violent societies to form governments to better and more effectively institutionalize their actions. The more acceptable crime is to the masses, the bigger and more intrusive the government will be. Massive slavery and theft through taxes, regulations, and wars, and inflation will be seen as acceptable and bringing peace and stability even though it is really the violent actions on a mass scale that government is supposedly set up to counteract. The opposite of common opinion is true. It is not no government which leads to life being brutish and short. It is total government which leads to life being brutish and short. One only has to see the over hundred million people killed by total governments in the past century. Certainly the barbaric societies in Germany, Russia, and China were not the result of too little government since those governments controlled every aspect of society.
If government is based on violent ideas among society, and if the more acceptable violence is to the society, the greater the government will be, this means that the less government there is is an indication of more peaceful attitudes among people. If all government does is tax 1 percent of the economy and only uses those funds to form police and courts, this can only come about because people will only accept that amount of violence, and the government reflects that. If most people accept no violence at all, there will be no government in the sense of one that taxes and monopolizes its actions. Therefore, no government means peace, which means culture, love, charity, and prosperity. In other words, no government means the highest state of civilization. Taxing and monopolistic government is just a criminal gang writ large. So long as most people accept violence, it will exist. If people accept no violence, it will not exist. Government, therefore, is not as most people believe a check on violence and crime. It is in fact rather the institutionalization of that violence and crime. Human nature being what it is, there will always be some in any society who seek the violent means to attain what they want. However, in a society with no taxing government, this means that only the tiniest of minorities seek such a way of life. Crime with no state, particularly violent crime, would be very rare, and most would never encounter it in their lives. As was the case when there was much less government in this country, people could safely and confidently go without locking their doors or being worried about being out alone late at night.