The New Libertarianism: Anarcho-Capitalism

[Disclaimer: I am a friend of Mr. Oliver and his family. I am not normally predisposed to reading books on economics, politics, or objectivism—indeed, I have never read any of Ayn Rand’s books, and I did not know what objectivism was until I read this book. I do not self-identify as a Libertarian. I read the book because I wanted to understand more about the underpinnings of Mr. Oliver’s economic and political views than we have been able to discuss in our conversations during social gatherings. All this is to say that I do not feel as qualified to judge the merits or shortfalls of Mr. Oliver’s arguments as would someone who is more knowledgeable in these subjects.]Oliver’s book is divided into three broad sections, covering Objectivism, the State, and Capitalism/ Voluntarism. I’ll start my discussion with the second section, which launches into the evils inflicted on mankind by the kinds of governments we create and which rule us by “implied threat of force.” No argument from me that the institutions that mankind creates are often dismal failures. As soon as two or more people are engaged in any activity, power struggles emerge. I found myself objecting to Oliver’s assertions that governments rule by force—but it is an uncomfortable truth. We can change our leaders but not our government itself without its explicit permission to do so.The first section traces the development of the objectivist philosophy and prime tenets upon which libertarian ideas are based. Prime among these are that men and women must engage in “productive action” to sustain their physical and mental well-being. The third section’s description of how life might look without a government-run police force or court system is very interesting but scary to think of in terms of mankind’s current penchant for grabbing all we can. The anarcho-capitalist society posited seems to be to be thoroughly impossible in our current level of evolution, without assuming that people will work to produce for their own well-being and will not harm others through violence or fraud. The utopian society described in the book seems more like something possible in the period of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” when there are no longer material shortages of anything and people can be fully self-actualized.How do we achieve this vision? Well, Oliver says, Libertarians can’t give you a plan for getting there, because planning implies that someone is directing the show, which runs counter to pure libertarianism. Apparently we just have to assume that we’ll all eventually come to our senses someday. (In conversation with Mr. Oliver, he has alluded to meltdowns such as the 2008 financial crisis as anarcho-capitalistic opportunities for people to see the failings of government writ large and to do finally something about it. That is, someday there will be an economic crisis so large that government will not be able to provide the answer. Then true change will come.)Hence I was left with a sense of uncertainty about exactly what I am supposed to do with the information and ideas planted by in my brain the book. It did give me a lot to think about, however, and I’m glad I read it. I believe that students of political theory will find interesting material in here, no matter what their political leaning. Oliver points out early in the book that it is unfortunate that Libertarianism has become associated with the Republican Party, because the GOP is, just as the Democrats, an institution operating within the framework of The State.

The author is an anarcho-capitalist as am I. I agree with the philosophical basis upon which anarcho -capitalism is based but as far as the execution of the theory there is much to be desired. The author assumes that every action taken by humans is rational and that humans will choose the most logical option when faced with a conflict but I do not. In a lot of ways this book actually talked me out of my commitment to anarcho-capitalism because it appears that the execution of this form of governance relies on the execution of unrealistic ideals and an inadequate understanding of human nature in the same way that socialism does.

J M Oliver's ANARCHO-CAPITALISM is an eye and mind opening tour d force of thoughts, ideas and ultimate common sense. He clearly and concisely lays out the problems and often pure evil perpetrated by The State upon a passive, accepting populace. Unchecked, unchallenged we face an ever increasing erosion of anything resembling freedom. Our inherent acceptance of a 'higher power' (god, others, the state) will take us upon a fatal path to a place where such luxuries as independent thought, personal autonomy, liberty and a right to our own lives will be non existent.Mr Oliver offers, with a positive and optimistic clarity, solutions, alternatives and a golden hope for a time and place where we can ultimately seek to achieve our own goals, well being, and dreams.Although heavy on philosophical and historical themes, this book more often than not reads like a flat out Thriller. Immense villains, armed with ill accepted premises, threaten and snarl at us. Will we, the protagonists, prevail? As it turns out, the Heroes are us!

Having been a libertarian for decades, abet for the most of the time as a self-professed minarchist, I have watched the libertarians struggle with how they justify the rollback of the statists installations. This book eliminates that need and gives a clear, cogent case for Anarcho-Capitalism being the true natural state of man. The core of this is the Zero Aggression Principle, clearly articulated by L. Neil Smith, who wrote the forward to this book.For a man, the fundamental right is the right to life, which means the right of self ownership. Self ownership is the ultimate property right. This book builds on that basis and carefully lays out the intellectual basis for a fully volitional society. Those who have read Ayn Rand and understood her basic philosophy will find a fascinating application of the logic to the problem of government.I strongly urge anyone concerned with the cause of liberty to read this volume.

The author was a follower of Ayn Rand and committed Objectivist. He did not, however, embrace the favored Randian conclusion about government: that it should be limited. He preferred the Rothbard prescription, which has become known as anarcho-capitalism: that individuals operating freely in a capitalist market of voluntary exchange have no need of government. Solutions better than government will emerge naturally.The author therefore sets out to combine Objectivism (which he defines as a philosophy or as metaphysics) and Anarcho-Capitalism in a single economic philosophy. He quotes both Rand and Rothbard and various supporters or predecessors of each. He also speculates on how the emergent anarcho-capitalist society will operate.It's an interesting if incomplete read. The problem with anarcho-capitalism is its impracticality: we can't get there from here. In that sense, Rand was more practical than Rothbard. However, the supporters of anarcho-capitalism declare the ideas to be more important than the implementation.It's worth reading, if just to stimulate the intellectual juices.

I purchased this book and read it prior to the lockdowns in 2020. I read through it in just a few days back in January 2020.At the time I was writing my first novel, and I needed to know about stateless societies. This book was a massive contribution. The book has since been published and has done well for a debut from an unknown author, and for that I’ll always be grateful to J Michael Oliver.The book gives us a deep insight into the Ayn Rand philosophy known as objectivism before providing excerpts from Rothbard discussing individuals having volition and the criticisms of the state and what they truly represent.The last part of the book regarding incarceration/consequences of individuals who commit heinous crimes was difficult to fully accept. I perfectly understand the theory that Mr Oliver put across, but I personally don’t have as much faith in human beings as he does it seems.Terrific and highly recommend