Writer: afaq
Anarchist FAQ author
10 Would laissez-faire capitalism be stable?
8 What role did the state take in the creation of capitalism?
7 How does the history of "anarcho"-capitalism show that it is not anarchist?
6 Is "anarcho"-capitalism against the state?
No. Due to its basis in private property, "anarcho"-capitalism implies a class division of society into bosses and workers. Any such division will require a state to maintain it. However, it need not be the same state as exists now. Regarding this point, "anarcho"-capitalism plainly advocates "defence associations" to protect property. For the "anarcho"-capitalist, however, these private companies are not states. For anarchists, they most definitely are.
4 What is the right-libertarian position on private property?
Right libertarians are not interested in eliminating capitalist private property and thus the authority, oppression and exploitation which goes with it. It is true that they call for an end to the state, but this is not because they are concerned about workers being exploited or oppressed but because they don’t want the state to impede capitalists’ "freedom" to exploit and oppress workers even more than is the case now!
3 Why do anarcho"-capitalists place little or no value on "equality"?
Murray Rothbard argues that "the ‘rightist’ libertarian is not opposed to inequality." [For a New Liberty, p. 47] In contrast, "leftist" libertarians oppose inequality because it has harmful effects on individual liberty.
Part of the reason "anarcho"-capitalism places little or no value on "equality" derives from their definition of that term. Murray Rothbard defines equality as: