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Spring 2014
ISSN 0890-913X
Volume 29, Number 2

Justifying a Stateless Legal Order: A Critique of Rand and Epstein

Walter E. Block, Loyola University New Orleans
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TheJournalofPrivateEnterprise29(2),2014,2149JustifyingaStatelessLegalOrder:ACritiqueofRandandEpsteinWalterE.BlockLoyolaUniversityNewOrleans______________________________________________________AbstractArobustlegalordercansurviveandthriveintheabsenceofthestate.Inthisarticle,Idefendthisviewbyrespondingtodefendersofthestate,notablydistinguishedlegaltheoristRichardEpstein.Epsteinsviewsareofparticularinterestinthathepersistentlyarguesforsubstantialconstraintsontheroleofthestate.Nonetheless,Iargue,hedoesnotgofarenough:heremainsconvincedthatthestateisneededtoensurethelegitimacyandeffectivenessofajustlegalorder.Inthis,Iwillshow,heismistaken.Atthesametime,Iconsiderpro-stateargumentsfromAynRand,who,likeEpstein,wasinclinedunnecessarilytoaffirmtheauthorityofthestate.______________________________________________________JELcodes:H11Keywords:Anarchism,Minarchism,Libertarianism,RightsI.IntroductionMostpeoplereflexivelyrejectanyappellationthatcontainsthedreadedAword,anarchism,”asitbringsuppicturesofbombthrowing.Free-marketanarchism,oranarcho-capitalism,partakesofusingtheAword,butistheoppositeofthrowingbombs.Indeed,ifthereareanybomb-throwersaround,itisthestatethearchistsnottheanarchists.What,then,isfree-enterpriseanarchism?Itispredicatedupontwoprinciples.First,thenonaggressionprinciple(NAP),whichholdsthatitisillicitforanyone,anyone,1toinitiateorthreatenviolenceagainstanyoneelse.2ThesecondsideofthelibertariancoinisIthankStephanKinsella,whohasaverysharpeyeforlibertariantheory,forgreatlyimprovinganearlierversionofthispaper.Allremainingerrorsofcommissionandomissionaremyown.1Evenpeoplecallingthemselvesthegovernment(Spooner1870).2Thisisaboutasfarapartfrombomb-throwingasitispossibletobe,incaseyouwerentpayingattention.21
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