The State is an institution that claims the lawful and moral authority to initiate force and defraud people out of property. It is unique in this assertion within its claimed geopolitical boundary, and thus has been termed by many a “monopoly on violence”. Of course, it does a terrible job at maintaining this monopoly, as the more intrusive the government, the more rampant the crime in the society. But the State performing poorly is not news to anybody I expect to read this document.
This article is geared towards those who would wish to see the abolition of that institution, and have some semblance of an attachment to reality. In other words, this article is geared towards anarcho-capitalists, though all are of course welcomed to read.
Many theories have been put forth on how to accomplish that goal. Trade (agorism), civil disobedience, mass non-cooperation, seasteading, political migrations, electoral politics, “peaceful parenting”, technology, and even time itself – simply waiting for some inevitable “paradigm shift” where people see the light and opt not to State anymore.
Throughout all of these ideas, and many others, there runs a common theme of avoiding the use of force. This is quite understandable. Our aversion to the State is primarily centered around its use of violence, and thus we rightly wish not to emulate it in our tactics. Given the choice between peace and violence, nearly all sane people choose peace. Violence is largely the tool of dim witted fools who act in this fashion only because they lack an intelligent response to a conflict.