Freedom, Society, and State - Ludwig von Mises Institute

G i v e n 0 u r b r i e f 0 v e r vie W 0 f s even pO pu I a r a r gumen
t s for government and the anarchist repl ies, we are
left with the following conclusions: [1] individualist
anarch i sm is a feasible method of social organization
and therefore ;government is not indispensible; [2] depending
on one's personal values, individualist anarchism
mayor may not bea desirable method of social
organization; and [3] given the radical natural-rights
position of most individualist anarchists, government
can never be a morally justifiable institution.
History shows that freedom is a fragile and fleeting
possession. It also shows that governments expand.
It is not likely that the two are unrelated.'
It was only in the twentieth century that the
state emerged fully supreme, possessing the complete
panoply of modern technology and unfettered by economic,
religious or social restrictions. The results are
c 1ear for all t 0 see: two w0 rid wa r sand t hat m0 r a I
monstros i ty, the total i tarian state. But the United
States suffered neither the awesome destruction of
world war nor the spiritual destitution of totalitarianism.
The United States, Americans were fond of
tel lin g thems e 1 ves, wa sun i que • This wa s the "1 and 0 f
the free," and government was "of, by and for the
people," There was no need to worry.
Yet, by any index -- taxes, expenditures, the size
of the bureaucracy, the scope of activities, the number
of departments -- government in the United States has
also expanded, and that expansion has been dramatic and
has ga i ned momentum wi th the passage of time. Perhaps
what ween joyed wa s not a dis pensat ion but a me res t a y
of execut ion. People are beginning to feel the pinch.
Wherever one goes today people speak of bloated governmen
t • Therearet 0 0 man y t a xes, too rna ny laws, too
much regulat ion, too much waste, and just plain too
much government. Not only does government restrict
individual liberty but, with inflation, recession,
gover nmen t cor r upt i on and the ever-present threat of
nuclear annihilation, we are beginning to realize that
neither can it provide security and prosperity. Along
with this realization comes a search for alternatives.
The individual anarchist has advanced a number of
radical and quite exciting proposals which, he
bel i eve s, w0 u I d po i n t the wa y to a f r e e and pr 0 s per 0 us
society. It is an alternative that deserves serious
consideration.
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