The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Introduction
• Part One: the Needless State (chapters 2, 3, 4 Are Not Available Online For Copyright Reasons)
• 1: Who Gave Us Order? On Exclusion, Enforcement, and Its Wherewithal *
• 5: Empirical Evidence *
• Part Two: Redistribution (chapter 7 Is Not Available Online For Copyright Reasons)
• 6: A Stocktaking of Perversities *
• 8: Disjunction, Conjunction *
• Part Three: Justice (chapters 10, 11 Are Not Available Online For Copyright Reasons)
• 9: Justice As Something Else *
• 12: Slicing the Cake Nobody Baked *
• Part Four: Socialism
• 13: Ownership, Agency, Socialism *
• 14: Market Socialism: “this Square Circle” *
• Part Five: Freedom
• 15: Right, Wrong, and Economics *
• 16: The Paretian Liberal, His Liberties and His Contracts *
• 17: The Bitter Medicine of Freedom *
• Works Cited

5

Empirical Evidence *

Throughout its history, humanity has permanently displayed a physical condition classified in ordinary language as “illness” or “disease.” There has always been what Hume would call a “constant conjunction” between human life and illness.

The Hobbesian hypothesis that illness is a necessary condition of the survival of the human species has strong empirical support. It has never been falsified.

Throughout its history, humanity has permanently displayed a social condition classified in ordinary language as “the state” or “government.” There has always been what Hume would call a “constant conjunction” between human society and government.

The Hobbesian hypothesis that government is a necessary condition of social life has strong empirical support. It has never been falsified.

Arguments in favor of the prevention or eradication of disease are evidently misguided and may be dangerous. They are often put forward by naïve persons with little understanding of reality.

Arguments in favor of fostering society’s capacity to evolve anarchic orders and live with less or no government are evidently misguided and may be dangerous. They are often put forward by naïve persons with little understanding of reality.

Part Two

Redistribution

[* ]This piece is previously unpublished in book form.