Zyobot
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Just a time-traveling robot stranded on Earth.
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Post by Zyobot on Aug 13, 2018 18:32:01 GMT
Though I'm no proponent myself, I've long been fascinated by anarcho-capitalism--a socioeconomic system of total free markets, unchecked business and the absence of government. Naturally, such a setup is anathema to how we do things today, and gets treated as a fringe ideology accordingly.
But some people assert that a number of historical societies could be described as anarcho-capitalist, or had at least incorporated some of its principles and programs; Gaelic Ireland, Medieval Iceland and the American Old West are cited the most. Since I've seen little documentation and a select few who've studied these places, I don't know for sure. So I wanted to ask everyone else if there were any (proto) ancap societies that once existed? |
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spanishspy
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Post by spanishspy on Aug 13, 2018 19:42:28 GMT
Can't speak for the first two but the American Old West does not count as there very much was a government presence effecting change - namely the conquest of this new western empire for Washington D.C. and for new white settlers. It was the government negotiating with indigenous nations and forcing them onto reservations.
Indeed some would argue that capitalism needs a state to continue to work such that contracts and property rights could be enforced.
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Zyobot
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Just a time-traveling robot stranded on Earth.
Posts: 17,352
Likes: 7,260
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Post by Zyobot on Aug 13, 2018 19:49:28 GMT
Can't speak for the first two but the American Old West does not count as there very much was a government presence effecting change - namely the conquest of this new western empire for Washington D.C. and for new white settlers. It was the government negotiating with indigenous nations and forcing them onto reservations. Indeed some would argue that capitalism needs a state to continue to work such that contracts and property rights could be enforced. Yeah, I wasn't fully sure about that one. It still would've been insanely unregulated compared to nowadays, I imagine.
I've also encountered the argument stating that a state is necessarily to facilitate capitalism and such, or at least tenants of it (i.e. property rights and voluntary exchange). I'm still sure that uncontrollable laissez-fairism can exist w/out government, but it won't be truly capitalistic--let alone anything good.
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