No taxes, no legislature, no democracy -- No state

[DBTrek]

Y'all should read The Invisible Hook. Not only does it demonstrate that anarchy is not chaos - but it explores what an economy looks like when it's not based on productivity or "giving your customer what they want".

They didn't have a government, but they had many forms of governance that shifted according to the situation at hand. Forming a pirate crew? That's a 100% unanimous democracy. Every member must agree to every rule. Replacing a captain? Simple majority? Engaging an enemy vessel? Autocracy.

Fascinating stuff.
Governance without government.
Order and discipline among violent criminals.

[TheOneX]

Anarchy at scale would just devolve into city states and HOAs. As soon as there is a perceived or real injustice that happens, average people will start to demand some form of centralize government to make sure it doesn't happen again. A state of anarchy is not a natural state of being for humans. So while you would certainly be able to create small pockets of true believers who can make it work, much like communism, at scale it just does not work. It is not in our nature.

[DBTrek]

A state of anarchy is not a natural state of being for humans.

That must be why the first tribe of cavemen didn't form until they figured out how to get the tax system working.

Dude - I don't know why everyone is compelled to say "BUT IT CAN'T WORK AT SCALE" when the truth is, you don't fucking know. You don't. You may well have confused a larger gang's inclination to dominate and exploit a smaller gang as "humans craving the stability of civilization".

I said in my opening reply to Fife that I didn't know whether it would scale or not. But that wasn't sufficient for you. The very idea of not being ruled by an armed gang compelled you to come in here and declare that it absolutely could not scale - something you obviously cannot know. All you know is that historically, when one gang gets big enough, it conquers and imposes it's will on smaller groups. That's not craving civilization. That's craving power and dominance.

So - maybe reflect on why the very possibility of not needing armed thugs telling you how to live is so scary to you that it's dismissed out of hand immediately.

[Martin Hash]

Brutality is the original form of governance and probably the last.

[Martin Hash]

Considering the CHOP was so close, I’m surprised you didn’t give anarchy a test drive?

[TheOneX]

Dude - I don't know why everyone is compelled to say "BUT IT CAN'T WORK AT SCALE" when the truth is, you don't fucking know. You don't.

Because we understand basic human psychology.

[DBTrek]

Considering the CHOP was so close, I’m surprised you didn’t give anarchy a test drive?

I don't need the CHOP to give Anarchy a test drive.
I drove it every day for a decade, all by my lonesome.


It's pretty easy ... only becomes difficult when others call the cops.

[Martin Hash]

Considering the CHOP was so close, I’m surprised you didn’t give anarchy a test drive?

I don't need the CHOP to give Anarchy a test drive.
I drove it every day for a decade, all by my lonesome.


It's pretty easy ... only becomes difficult when others call the cops.

When pirates start stealing their shit, people who believe in government do that.

[DBTrek]

When pirates start stealing their shit, people who believe in government do that.

Well, I imagine that's true.
In my case tho, it boiled down to "when people start shit that they can't finish, or bite off more than they can chew, they run to the cops to save them from their bad decisions".
Problem is - if you clearly started the shit, the cop probably ain't gonna arrest me for it.

[Martin Hash]

Remember when Monte used to advocate stealing bicycles for egalitarian reasons: maybe he was really just trying to be a pirate?