In the following I want to briefly describe a historical puzzle or riddle that I will then try to solve and answer in some detail.

But before that, it is necessary to make a few brief general theoretical observations.

absolute king, role of, 34

Adams, John, 11

Against Politics, 10n

amoral demagogues, 51

arbitrators, 28, 65

aristocratic natural order, 31

authority, 11

capital values, concern with by the ruler, 16, 44

caretaker owners, 44

caretaker, democratic, 45

competition in the production of bads, 45

competition, eliminative, 56

conflicts, interpersonal, 20

constitution, role of, 39

cost-plus contracts, 55

court intellectuals, role of, 13f.

Hans-Hermann Hoppe was born on September 2, 1949, in Peine, West Germany. He attended the Universität des Saarlandes, Saarbrücken, the Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt/M, and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, for studies in Philosophy, Sociology, History, and Economics. He earned his Ph.D. (Philosophy, 1974) and his “Habilitation” (Sociology and Economics, 1981), both from the Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main.

Busting Myths about the State and the Libertarian Alternative

Second Edition

Zack Rofer

Published 2018 by the Mises Institute. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Mises Institute

518 West Magnolia Ave.

Auburn, Ala. 36832

mises.org

ISBN: 978-1-61016-696-6

ISBN (ebook): 978-1-61016-697-3

Preface

In non-technical terms, the libertarian is simply someone who is against the use of force against peaceful people in civil society. You would think that this would be a universally accepted idea but, as will be discussed in greater depth, to believe in government as we know it is to be at odds with this idea.

I. The Statist’s View

People

The statist perceives the state as a group of individuals who selflessly toil for the “common good,” and who have a mandate, through the electoral process, to pass legislation as these individuals see fit to force changes in behavior of those outside the state. The statist lauds “public service,” and believes that those at the state are deserving of special privileges and respect given their selflessness and the awesome power they wield.

II. Myths about the Nature of the State

Myth #1: The State Is Good and Does Good

Statists like to portray the state as a vehicle through which they can channel their compassion, noble intentions, and moral compasses. They believe that the state brings civility to society. However, as this book will illustrate, the reality is that this vehicle is not as noble or moral as statists like to believe, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that there is no more uncivil institution than the state.