Political Theory

Re: An Anarcho-Capitalist Novel?

Sam Armstrong — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:26:48 GMT

Re: An Anarcho-Capitalist Novel?

mouser98 — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 00:22:43 GMT

Minerva by Bob Murphy

Re: An Anarcho-Capitalist Novel?

chloe732 — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 22:36:14 GMT

phrizek - Of all the suggestions, Time Will Run Back seems to be most in line with my temperment. Hazlitt is a great writer too. I'm going to read this one. Thanks.

Re: An Anarcho-Capitalist Novel?

demosthenes — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 22:00:25 GMT

I can't remember the author, but Alongside Night is a great ancap book, although it focus more on the agorist branch of the movement. Just google it and d/l free pdf.

Re: An Anarcho-Capitalist Novel?

Marko — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 12:13:35 GMT

Aster_Lacnala:

Protecting oneself from this means swearing absolute obedience to a central figure. It is basically a benevolent dictatorship run by someone who believes in, at least, Libertarianism.

It means tortuting prisoners, beheading them, impaling the cut of heads on pikes and generally beheaving like a law onto oneself because one is objectively right. It is a bunch of amoral Objectivist nonsense that should turn the stomach of any decent human being.

Re: An Anarcho-Capitalist Novel?

Aster_Lacnala — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 08:21:06 GMT

Having read nearly all of Goodkind's Sword of Truth series, I don't know if I can recommend it as pure anarcho-capitalism. Goodkind is an Objectivist, and certainly a Libertarian, and the novels are excellent - I do recommend them. Just not for a discussion of anarcho-capitalism.

Without giving too much away, the middle of the series has a large socialist state trying to expand. Protecting oneself from this means swearing absolute obedience to a central figure. It is basically a benevolent dictatorship run by someone who believes in, at least, Libertarianism. But it does seem to espouse the ideal that government needs to exist to prevent takeover by worse governments.

Re: An Anarcho-Capitalist Novel?

Michelangelo — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 06:05:13 GMT

While not written from an intentional Anarcho-Capitalist perspective, I think the Kino no Tabi franchise touches on several related themes. I might just be reading too much into it at times though.

Re: An Anarcho-Capitalist Novel?

Stranger — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 05:54:12 GMT

chloe732:
I am curious to know how "Anarcho-Capitalism" defends itself from the inevitable attacks by "Chaos" and "Statism". Chaos must raid to survive, and Statism will inevitably desire to expand its empire.

In The Diamond Age there is only one surviving state, Coastal China, and it is so corrupt that it is being attacked from all sides and destroyed over the course of the story.

Re: An Anarcho-Capitalist Novel?

chloe732 — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 05:32:13 GMT

Stranger:

That is pretty much the plot of The Diamond Age.

That is amazing, since I have never heard of any of these books. The outline above is simply the logical deduction about where the world is heading, especially the failure of statism.

Thanks to all for the reading suggestions. I will look these up.

I am curious to know how "Anarcho-Capitalism" defends itself from the inevitable attacks by "Chaos" and "Statism". Chaos must raid to survive, and Statism will inevitably desire to expand its empire. I see Anarcho-Capitalism pretty much minding its own business, and doing quite well at that, when it is attacked by the other "zones". I envision the people of the three zones being of completely different mindsets, unable to comprehend each other, children having been raised for generations within each respective paradigm. The An-Caps can't imagine paying a "tax" to a "government" for "services". The Chaos-ists can't imagine property "belonging" to someone. The statists can't imagine life without a "government" to provide "services" and "security". Should be interesting to see how all this plays out. I think it will actually happen some day.

Re: An Anarcho-Capitalist Novel?

Conza88 — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 04:50:40 GMT

Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert Heinlein

Re: An Anarcho-Capitalist Novel?

Stranger — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 03:29:03 GMT

chloe732:
Part two: The story is centered on three distinct "zones", separated by distance and geological barriers. The first zone, Chaos, has no law and no respect for property rights. Participants in this zone consume everything, produce nothing and destroy anything that is left. The 2nd zone is "Statism". There is law, but no respect for property rights. The people create a constitution, elect a government, and begin taxing themselves to support government "services". They tax themselves to pay for police, judges, and jails. The 3rd zone is "Anarcho-Capitalism". There is both law and respect for personal property rights, but no government. The same forces that coordinate the production of food or shoes also coordinate the production of legal and judicial services.

That is pretty much the plot of The Diamond Age.

Re: An Anarcho-Capitalist Novel?

phrizek — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 03:06:00 GMT

Oh, and I just remembered. While not AnCap per se, Henry Hazlitt wrote a novel with a very similar theme to your ideas in the first post called "Time Will Run Back." You might want to take a look at it.

Re: An Anarcho-Capitalist Novel?

phrizek — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 03:04:27 GMT

Kings of the High Frontier is very good.

Re: An Anarcho-Capitalist Novel?

Saan — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 02:22:57 GMT

Terry Goodkind has done it.

Read the sword of truth series. It is fantasy, but very libertarian-an-cap.

The first book is Wizards First Rule: People believe what they want to believe. It is long. 12 books I think, but it is definitely written from a libertarian, an-cap perspective. Philosophy and fallacy are even explained through Prophecy in the book's world.

The economic calculation problem within socialism is explained in book six I think.

The Non-aggression principle is present throughout and developed within all plots and sub-plots.

Rampant statism and the false left/right paradigm gets exposed towards the end of book 2.

Anyway google it. It is well written, and it is not Tolkienesque. It is fantasy, but original.

Re: An Anarcho-Capitalist Novel?

liberty student — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 02:18:02 GMT

Neal Stephenson has written some books from an ancap perspective. Snow Crash and Diamond Age.

William Gibson's cyberpunk is very ancap. His Bridge and Sprawl trilogies are right up that alley. If you'd like to sample his style, google "Disneyland with the Death Penalty"