In their attempts to justify the existence of a ruling class(government), statists often describe perfectly reasonable, legitimate, useful things, and then proclaim them to be government. They may argue, Once people cooperate to form an organized system of mutual defense, thats government. Or they may claim, When people collectively decide the way things like roads and commerce and property rights will work in their town, thats government. Or they may say, When people pool their resources, to do things collectively rather than each individual having to do everything for himself, that is government. None of those statements are true. Such assertions are intended to make government sound like a natural, legitimate, and useful part of human society. But all of them completely miss the fundamental nature of government. Government is not organization, cooperation, or mutual agreement. Countless groups and organizations---supermarkets, football teams, car companies, archery clubs, etc.--- engage in cooperative, mutually beneficial collective actions, but they are not called government, because they are not imagined to have the right to rule. And that is the secret ingredient that makes something authority: the supposed right to forcibly control others.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 17:59:32 +0000
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