Ep 9: Does Social Hierarchy or Economics Make The State Inevitable?

January 26, 2023
Reformed Libertarians Podcast

Does Social Hierarchy or Economics Make The State Inevitable?

A discussion of the main points of Kerry Baldwin’s article on economics, social relations, and the question of the inevitability of the state in a properly-functioning society. Robert Nozick’s economic argument for the immaculate conception of the state, and Russel Kirk’s social argument for states are both answered. A non-monopolistic view of civil governance is placed in terms of “sphere sovereignty” and a non-individualistic and non-collectivistic view of society.

https://reformedlibertarians.com/009

Main Points of Discussion

00:00	Intro
00:32	Episode description: Article Part 1 on law and order and the question of civil governance legitimacy Part 2 on human sinfulness and the question of civil governance necessity
01:45	Summary overview of article
03:20	The economic argument for the state’s supposed inevitability, as presented by Robert Nozick in his book Anarchy, State, and Utopia
04:24	Murray Rothbard’s refutation of Nozick’s hypothetical “immaculate conception of the state” (Audio)
04:43	Nozick’s false assumption about contract and Rothbard on title-transfer view of contract (Audio)
06:39	Nozick’s false assumption about dispute resolution and Bob Murphy’s “Wouldn’t Warlords Take Over?” on the realistic alternative to combat (Video)
07:55	Nozick’s false assumption about agreements and organizational merger and the counter-example of Ancient Ireland’s non-monopolistic legal order
09:53	The social argument for the state’s supposed inevitability, as presented by Russel Kirk in his 10 Conservative Principles, from the principle of variety from his book The Politics of Prudence
12:09	The Reformed Libertarianism statement Why the worst rise to the top of the state
13:10	The neocalvinist and reformational view of society (sphere sovereignty) as a superior alternative to individualistic and collectivistic views of society
14:56	Praxeological / methodological individualism (recognizing that only individual persons properly act) is not an individualistic view of society
16:35	Society is not a single thing, nor something normatively governed “overall”
18:44	No specific community normatively governs all the others of that same kind, whether familial, ecclesial, or civil (or any other kind)

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