The Initiation of Force (Nonaggression axiom) and Private Property
The cornerstone of radical libertarian thinking is the idea that private property does not initiate force. Consequently, the radical libertarian believes that he or she can simultaneously believe in private property while opposing the initiation of force. But since private property does in fact initiate force, radical libertarianism must either be rejected or at least be grounded on some other principle.
posted by modlib at 7:49 PM
3 Comments:
What in the hell are you talking about? You have no idea what the nonaggression principle is. The cornerstone of radical libertarian thinking is the idea that PEOPLE may not initiate force. How can property initiate force? People can initiate force against other people or their property, but property cannot initiate force against people or other property.
What I meant by my comment is that the enforcement of claims to private property constitutes the initiation of force. A person may say, "This land is mine," but as far as nature is concerned, nobody has to recognize this claim.
Modlib, are you a geolibertarian? Otherwise, your comment doesn't make sense. Someone with a legitimate claim to private property is not initiating force by enforcing that claim. If someone tries to steal your car and you use force to prevent them from doing so, you are engaging in defensive force, which is perfectly legitimate. If someone has stolen your car and you use force to retrieve the car or compensation for the loss of your car, you are engaging in retaliatory force, which is perfectly legitimate.
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