Do We Need Government?

Should government provide law enforcement? Most would argue that government is absolutely necessary for law enforcement. Prof. Edward Stringhman, however, argues that government may not even be necessary at all.

To come to this conclusion, Prof. Stringham asks a few important questions. First, if something is really important, does it logically follow that government should provide it? Second, are markets capable of providing law enforcement and security in the modern world? Third, how are disputes currently settled between people of different countries?

Looking at the first question, it doesn't seem to be the case that important things must be provided by a government. For instance, think about food. Food is necessary for life, and yet, markets do an excellent job of providing food to consumers.

Even if you're convinced that markets can provide important things, you may think law enforcement and security are a special case that markets are incapable of providing in a modern world. However, markets already enforce private rules and provide security. Disney World, Las Vegas, and malls all have private rules that are enforced by private security.

Accepting the arguments above, you may still be skeptical about market's abilities to settle disputes between different systems of rules or law. This, in fact, was Ayn Rand's primary reason for advocating a minimal state. Current interactions in the real world provide examples as to how markets resolve these disputes. Think about an international soccer game or international trade. In both instances, individuals are interacting across state boundaries, and are only subject to the jurisdiction of their own territory. In these situations, these individuals contract with the arbiters such as a soccer league or a private court to resolve disputes.

Credits: This lecture was delivered in 2009 at the Metropolitan State College of Denver School of Business, as part of the Exploring Economic Freedom Lecture Series, directed by Prof. Alexandre Padilla. This video was produced and directed by Scott Houck, and edited by Adrienne Christy. Video production provided by the Educational Technology Center at Metropolitan State College of Denver. Video used by LearnLiberty.org with permission.

Watch more videos: http://lrnlbty.co/y5tTcY

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[DrPhallus]

Feels like he's lecturing to a bunch of 8 year olds...

[OccupyYourLives]

I prefer dangerous freedom, to safe slavery anyday!

[wiimooden]

What is needed is to take away the government's ability to initiate force against people. Taxation for one, is when the government demands X (arbitrary amount) of money by date Y (April 15 for the US) or spend 5 years of your life in a cage. If you get caught doing this, you get arrested for racketeering and extortion. Same goes for things like conscription, warfare, central banking etc. etc.

[mba2ceo]

that is why we have Juries & Elected positions ... so the ppl can determine those RULES & Enforce them. Today only FED Judges are appointed which should be changed.

[wiimooden]

That's the thing. Gov't isn't impartial at all. Gov't essentially has a monopoly on the service of conflict arbitration/resolution. I'll give you an example:

If I have a dispute over an arrangement I've had with the government, where am I allowed to resolve this? The government will insist that I use their tribunal, and nothing else. And ofc, the reason I comply with their demands to arbitrate their own dispute is because they have overwhelming force to back them up.

[mba2ceo]

because for justice U need an impartial 3rd party to keep the peace ... otherwise the strong will oppress the weak.

[wiimooden]

Why humans don't need govt:

1. How exactly is allowing one group of individuals to extort money from the public by the threat of kidnapping/imprisonment (taxation) supposed to help?

2. If you wouldn't trust the government to clothe you, shelter you, feed you etc. adequately, then why do you trust it to defend you or provide sole means by which conflict is resolved to create property rules (laws are specific types of these rules) by which you are expected to clothe/feed yourself?

[mba2ceo]

Humanity needs GOVT - and it is the responsibly of the citizens to curtail GOVT abuse.

[elchippe]

Do the goverment need to bail out the auto companies?

This people see the world black and white.

[wiimooden]

I'll clear some things up for you then.

Government is an organization that holds the exclusive right to the initiation of force sustained by widespread systematic extortion.

The "protection" from individual aggression that government offers the public quite conveniently does not apply to its own acts of aggression (if we understand taxation to be force). As such, the concept of taxation has no justification whatsoever. In a simple context, this is what I meant by my other post.

[Todd O'Dell]

If we need no government are we just on our own when it comes to security? So why does't someone take what's yours?

[Todd O'Dell]

Ayn Rand's thought was to have a government to protect you from force. I don't recall her pushing for government to deciede if I built the fence too close. Plus I don't quite see that after beating my neighbor I'm going to elect to be judged by a third party.