Night-watchman state
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Anight-watchman state,also referred to as aminimal stateorminarchy,whose proponents are known asminarchists,is a model of astatethat is limited and minimal, whose functions depend onlibertariantheory.Right-libertarianssupport it only as an enforcer of thenon-aggression principleby providing citizens with the military, the police, and courts, thereby protecting them fromaggression,theft,breach of contract,fraud, and enforcingproperty laws.[1][2][3]
In the United States, thisform of governmentis mainly associated withlibertarianandObjectivistpolitical philosophy. In other countries, minarchism is also advocated by some non-anarchistlibertarian socialistsand otherleft-libertarians.[4][5]A night-watchman state has also been popularized byRobert NozickinAnarchy, State, and Utopia(1974).[6]TheUnited Kingdomin the 19th century has been described by historianCharles Townshendas a standard-bearer for this form of government.[7]
Origin
[edit]As a term,night-watchman state(German:Nachtwächterstaat) was coined by GermansocialistFerdinand Lassallein an 1862 speech in Berlin wherein he criticized thebourgeois-liberallimited governmentstate, comparing it to a night-watchman whose sole duty was preventing theft, playing on the double meaning of the German termNachtwächterto mean someone who was incompetent or stupid. The phrase quickly caught on as a description ofcapitalistgovernment, even as liberalism began to mean a more involved state, or a state with a larger sphere of responsibility.[8]Ludwig von Miseslater opined that Lassalle tried to make limited government look ridiculous though it was no more ridiculous than governments that concerned themselves with "the preparation of sauerkraut, with the manufacture of trouser buttons, or with the publication of newspapers".[9]
Proponents of the night-watchman state areminarchists,a portmanteau ofminimumand-archy.Arche(/ˈɑːrki/;Ancient Greek:ἀρχή) is a Greek word which came to mean "first place, power", "method of government", "empire, realm", "authorities" (in plural:ἀρχαί), or "command".[10]The termminarchistwas coined bySamuel Edward Konkin IIIin 1980.[11]
Philosophy
[edit]This sectionis missing informationabout the minarchic objections of thepolycentric law(such as the non-recognition of legal orders among different providers) and the concept of the "ultra-minimal state." Additionally, the distinction between pro-voluntary funding minarchists, such asAyn RandandRobert Nozick,and pro-tax minarchists is not explicitly illustrated.(August 2024) |
Right-libertarianminarchists generally justify the state as a logical consequence of thenon-aggression principle.[1][2][3]They argue thatanarcho-capitalismis impractical because it is not sufficient to enforce the non-aggression principle, as the enforcement of laws under anarchy would be open to competition.[12]Another common objection to anarchism is that private defense and court firms would tend to represent the interests of those who pay them enough.[13]
Left-libertarianminarchists justify the state as a temporary measure on the grounds thatsocial safety netbenefits the working class. Some anarchists, such asNoam Chomsky,are in agreement withsocial democratson the importance of welfare measures, but prefer using non-state methods.[14]Left-libertarians such asPeter Hainaredecentralistswho do not advocate abolishing the state,[4]but do wish to limit and devolve state power,[5]stipulating that any measures favoring the wealthy be prioritized for repeal before those which benefit the poor.[15]
Some minarchists argue that a state is inevitable because anarchy is futile.[16]Robert Nozick,who publicized the idea of a minimal state inAnarchy, State, and Utopia(1974), argued that a night-watchman state provides a framework that allows for any political system that respects fundamentalindividual rightsand therefore morally justifies the existence of a state.[6][17]
See also
[edit]- Anarchism and anarcho-capitalism
- Anarcho-capitalism and minarchism
- Big government
- Classical liberalism
- Constitutional liberalism
- Debates within libertarianism
- Objectivist movement
- Objectivism and libertarianism
- Property is theft!
- Small government
- Taxation as theft
- Voluntaryism
- Watchman (law enforcement)
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^abGregory, Anthony (May 10, 2004)."The Minarchist's Dilemma".Strike the Root: A Journal of Liberty.ArchivedJanuary 12, 2020, at theWayback Machine.Retrieved February 1, 2020.
- ^abPeikoff, Leonard (March 7, 2011)."What role should certain specific governments play in Objectivist government?"ArchivedSeptember 12, 2014, at theWayback Machine.Peikoff.com. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^abPeikoff, Leonard (October 3, 2011)."Interview with Yaron Brook on economic issues in today's world (Part 1)".Peikoff.com.Archivedfrom the original on September 12, 2014.RetrievedJanuary 2,2020.
- ^abHain, Peter (July/August 2000)."Rediscovering our libertarian roots".Chartist.ArchivedJune 21, 2013, at theWayback Machine.Retrieved February 1, 2020.
- ^abMarshall, Peter (2009) [1991].Demanding the Impossible: A History of Anarchism(POLS ed.). Oakland, California: PM Press.p. 641[permanent dead link]."Left libertarianism can therefore range from the decentralist who wishes to limit and devolve State power, to the syndicalist who wants to abolish it altogether. It can even encompass the Fabians and the social democrats who wish to socialize the economy but who still see a limited role for the State."ISBN978-1604860641.
- ^abNozick, Robert (1974).Anarchy, State, and Utopia.Basic Books.ISBN978-0465097203.
- ^Townshend, Charles (2000).The Oxford History of Modern War.Oxford University Press. pp.14–15.ISBN0192853732.
Britain, however, with its strong tradition of minimal government – the 'night-watchman state' – vividly illustrated the speed of the shift [during World War I] from normalcy to drastic and all-embracing wartime powers like those contained in the Defence of the Realm Act.
- ^Sawer, Marian (2003).The Ethical State?: Social Liberalism in Australia.Melbourne University Publishing.p. 87ArchivedApril 21, 2023, at theWayback Machine.ISBN978-0522850826.
- ^Von Mises, Ludwig (1927) [1922].Liberalism.p. 37ArchivedApril 21, 2023, at theWayback Machine.
- ^"Ἀρχή"Archy[Archy].A Greek-English Lexicon.Archivedfrom the original on September 27, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 2,2020.
- ^Konkin III, Samuel Edward (1980).New Libertarian Manifesto.p. 9.
- ^Long, Roderick T.; Machan, Tibor R., eds. (2008).Anarchism/Minarchism: Is a Government Part of a Free Country?(PDF).Ashgate Publishing.ISBN978-0754660668.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on November 30, 2011.
- ^Holcombe, Randall G. (2004)."Government: Unnecessary but Inevitable"(PDF).The Independent Review.Archived(PDF)from the original on August 29, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 2,2020.
- ^"Chomsky Replies to Multiple Questions About Anarchism".Z Magazine.ZCommunications. Archived fromthe originalon September 29, 2007.RetrievedAugust 19,2011.
Anarchists propose other measures to deal with these problems, without recourse to state authority.... Social democrats and anarchists always agreed, fairly generally, on so-called 'welfare state measures'.
- ^Richman, Sheldon (February 3, 2011)."Libertarian Left: Free-market anti-capitalism, the unknown ideal".The American Conservative.ArchivedJune 10, 2019, at theWayback Machine.Retrieved March 5, 2012. "[Left-libertarians] prefer that corporate privileges be repealedbeforethe regulatory restrictions on how those privileges may be exercised. "
- ^Emmett, Ross B. (2011).Frank H. Knight in Iowa City, 1919–1928.Emerald Group Publishing.ISBN978-1780520087.
- ^Gordon, David(2008)."Minimal State".InHamowy, Ronald(ed.).The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism.Thousand Oaks, CA:Sage;Cato Institute.pp. 332–334.doi:10.4135/9781412965811.n204.ISBN978-1412965804.LCCN2008009151.OCLC750831024.Archivedfrom the original on December 3, 2023.RetrievedFebruary 24,2022.
Bibliography
[edit]- Machan, Tibor R. (December 2002). "Anarchism and Minarchism. A Rapprochement".Journal des Economists et des Estudes Humaines.14(4): 569–588.
- Nozick, Robert (1974).Anarchy, State, and Utopia.New York City: Basic Books.
- Ostrowski, Marius S. (2014). "Towards libertarian welfarism: protecting agency in the night-watchman state".Journal of Political Ideologies.13(1): 107–128.
- Wolff, Jonathan (1991).Robert Nozick: Property, Justice, and the Minimal State.Cambridge, England: Polity Press.
External links
[edit]- "Market Anarchism as Constitutionalism"by Roderick T. Long
- "Chaos Theory: Two Essays on Market Anarchy"by Robert P. Murphy
- Robert Nozick and the Immaculate Conception of the Stateby Murray Rothbard