Can you privatise the army?
That's the question that separates the anarcho-libertarian men from the minarchist boys.
On the surface it seems absurd but it is a logical extension of libertarian principles so well... it would be nice if it were possible. If you could privatise the army then you could privatise everything.
Certainly, the guys who wrote The Myth of National Defense (warning very big file) seem to think it is perfectly possible (thanks to Andy Duncan and Catallarchy for the link)
For what it is worth, I think that the problem of who guards the guardians is a constant. You can't escape it. But it's early days yet and I am willing to be persuaded.
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I think you could, but base that on not much research into the question. The real test would be how well things went once you'd done it; the prospect of an unsatisfactory performance is much scarier in this scenario than with, say, a botched nose job or a train wreck -- which is saying something.
Still, I'd be all for it. It's the principle of the matter. Does that make me an ideologue?
I think you could, but base that on not much research into the question. The real test would be how well things went once you'd done it; the prospect of an unsatisfactory performance is much scarier in this scenario than with, say, a botched nose job or a train wreck -- which is saying something.
Still, I'd be all for it. It's the principle of the matter. Does that make me an ideologue?
Posted by Jackie on May 7, 2004