By Jonathan David Morris
A short time agookay, okay, way back in JanuaryI began a discussion on the definition of libertarianism, which Ive been meaning to continue ever since. The January column focused on two things: (1) the average libertarians dislike for government; and (2) the average libertarians dislike for average libertarians. While its certainly true that most libertarians see the government as the mafias mildly retarded big brother, this really only scratches the surface of their intense dislike for it. (Yours truly excluded. Like I said, I love the government. Its my source of material.) You see, libertarians dislike the government for reasons beyond inefficiency. For them, the very idea of it is immoral.
Thats because libertarians abide by the Non-Aggression Principle.
The Non-Aggression Principle, also called the Zero Aggression Principle, is the principle that states that human beings dont have the right to initiate force against each other. (Early Christians called this Christianity.") Libertarians are so serious about this principle that the ones who call it the NAP and the ones who call it the ZAP wont even fight each other over their differences. (Though they have been known to dance around in circles, wielding knives, like the Sharks and the Jets in West Side Story.)
For all intents and purposes, the NAPor ZAP, or whatever you want to call itis the same golden rule they drill into your head every year of school, starting with kindergarten. That is, that children should keep their hands to themselves. The simplicity of this premise is so fundamental to libertarianism that the NAP was originally called the Grade School Principle, but its name was changed because students kept confusing it with the Grade School Principalwho was merely the guy they hired to enforce it. This confusion raised all sorts of ethical questions on the nature of totalitarianism, which kept libertarians up late, which is why they forgot their math homework, they swear. So in order to avoid future confusion, they simply gave it two new names.
Now, as I said, the NAP states that human beings shouldnt initiate force against each other. Initiate is the keyword here. While many libertarians believe self-defense is justified, its the initiation of force they have a problem with. Thats where the grade school analogy ends. In grade school, you get in trouble for fighting back. In libertarianism, self-defense is usually held as an inalienable right. (Though not always. As the Iraq war shows us, self-defense can be used to justify anythingeven a preemptive strike.)
Of course, technically speaking, the grade school analogy ends before it begins, because libertarians view the taxes that pay for grade schools as an example of force. This brings us to the heart of the NAP matter. For most people, government is a given the same way earth, wind, fire, and water are. Its simply a natural element. But the truth is that governmentand not just our government, but every governmentis, by definition, the perpetual use of force. You may think its a rational use of force, and thats fine. Youre entitled to your opinion. But the fact that its force cannot be denied.
So how is it force? Well, lets put it this way: At the other end of every single public policy issuefrom speed limits and seatbelt laws to national IDs and steroidsthere exists the barrel of a gun. And not just one gun, usually, but many guns. Whole police departments. Even armies. Or in Americas case, the most lethal arsenal ever assembled by mere human hands. So theoretically speaking, if the U.S. passes a law against smoking pot, then any American who rolls a joint risks facing the wrath of every weapon at the countrys disposalincluding nukes. Granted, its farfetched. But the threat is there, and the punishments just as arbitrary as the law that its linked to.
And in case you havent heard, marijuana now accounts for half of all drug busts.
Now, obviously, no governments perfect. And some, no doubt, are better than others. But libertarians would complain that thats not good enough. Governments roam the planet like dogs marking territory. And the problem is, theres no territory left. Folks who want better have nowhere left to go.
Democratizing the world isnt the answer, either. Libertarians arent giddy about Middle Eastern democracy, for instance, because while theyre fond of liberty, they realize liberty and democracy arent always one and the same. Terrible things can happen in democracies. All it takes is 51 people out of 100 to force 49 into slavery. At that point, the governments role is simply to uphold the popular will.
Which isnt to say libertarians are utopians. They arent. Not all of them anyway. They understand bad things happen; its just that they dont believe government should use force to monopolize the profits.
Thats why I believe government would scarcely existif at allin an ideal libertarian society. Lawmakers would work part-time and laws would be optional. Businesses would cater to customer satisfaction rather than government contracts (see: Halliburton, Verizon, et al). And the only crimes would be those using force against person and property. People wouldnt be free to steal, or rape, or pillage and plunder, in an ideal libertarian society. Nor would they be free to murder, as non-libertarians claim. Indeed, in an ideal libertarian society, cats and dogs would live together. Blacks and whites would respect their differences. NAPS and ZAPS would converge over mutual interests. And even the Sharks and Jets would dance like angels on puffy white clouds.
Maybe the ideal libertarian society would be all of these things. Or maybe theres no such thing as an ideal libertarian society. I dont know. But in a way, this uncertainty is the libertarian ideal. That, in a nutshell, is the Non-Aggression Principle.
Jonathan David Morris is a political writer -- and sometimes satirist -- based in Pennsylvania. A strong believer in small government, JDM often takes aim at oppressive taxes, entitlements, and laws, writing about incompetence at the highest levels of culture and government. Catch his weekly ramblings at readjdm.com.