snugg, could be the way it turns out. only way to know is to try. otherwise we're just left here endlessly imagining.
@Snugg, you are right, that is why the best tools for making the world more ancap are those that make violent appropriation asymmetrically more expensive.
One pathway is to simply weaken the existing nation state governments until they are a shadow of their former selves, like the British or Japanese monarchies.
If I live to see the day where the US Capitol Building is purely a tourist attraction with no real political function, like Buckingham Palace or Versailles, I will die a happy man.
@kokansei I think we are not taking into consideration of pure brute force.
@kokansei if we think about power from a birds eye view, power is not just knowledge, as long as there's true brute military power, which is uncivilized but can be employed.
Also what I find interesting is America is at the end of their reign almost according to dynastic patterns... this is if we want to look into history to predict the future.
Some can also argue that history does not repeat itself because who freakin knows how we all manifest with all the crossbreeding of information. America remains but the system revamps.
Yeah, history does not repeat, but it certainly rhymes. =)
WRT the issue of brute force, I would argue that the individual's ability to protect against brute force has been going up consistently throughout history.
Back in the caveman days, if Grug wanted to take Lug's rocks and Grug was physically stronger, he could take what he wanted with minimal risk.
Then Lug invented the sword / bow and the risk of getting killed increased significantly even though Lug was still physically weaker. Innovation increased the cost (risk) of violence.
Still later, Lug can now buy a Smith and Wesson and anyone who tries to steal his rocks is faced with almost certain death or severe injury.
Now, Lug in the 21st century can convert his rocks into bitcoin and Grug now has to not get shot AND get through at least 256 bits of entropy. The cost of looting is through the roof.
Hey guys, I saw these messages at txstreet.com
Problem I see is any advancement that makes violent self defense easier for the individual has the flip effect of making aggressor violence easier for the group of individuals.
Such that self defense ability never grows faster and outpaces aggressor ability.
It's somewhat of a game of cat and mouse. An arms race. Some tech is advantageous for the individual and some is advantageous for the collective.
Yet despite the ups and downs, the general trend seems to be toward greater individual ability to protect property rights. Bitcoin is the latest and greatest advancement in the arms race
Ancaps can take heart in that new technology is most of the time taken up much faster by the individual, because it is harder for the collective to make fast decisions and change course.
& wait until we all have our recreational McNukes! jk.
Also individuals dont have to follow these advances in defence just as they dont follow advances in computers to be able to use better computers. Could be hired private decence companies
I heard the book "A Spontaneous Order: The Capitalist Case for a Stateless Society" for how a free society might work. talks about nukes I think. I'll probably get to it after ME&S
ME&S? heard of spontaneous order. havent read it. :( list of books & media it too long.
what does the author mention about nukes?
Man, Economy, and State, had to abbreviate it lol. I think he talks about how they are necessary for defense. I havent read it yet, but a friend of mine recommends it a lot.