This is an except from an unfinished manuscript tentatively titled LETTERS FROM THE LAST DAYS. When, if ever, time or interest will permit me to return to his work is unknown.
It is neither quite fiction nor nonfiction: the conceit here is that Time Travelers have arranged to allow my younger self, from AD 1984, to exchange letters with my older self, from AD 2042, on matters where the two do not agree.
These two letters given below concern libertarianism.
I offer it here as an oddity to amuse my beloved readers.
Letter XV — Anarchy Distinguished
14 July 1984
To My Self Yet To Come,
Libertarian theory can be distinguished from any sort of quasi-anarchism or any sort of anarchism. We are making the case here for limited government, not for no government.
Please note that the classical Enlightenment theory places the freedoms of speech, the press, assembly, and religion beyond the scope of government, as well as the private ownership of arms.
The simple reason for placing these things in the private sphere and beyond the reach of government is that the risk (of the state using the power to quell sedition to quell honest dissent) outweighs the rewards (of the state using the power to quell sedition to preserve an honest and lawful union from dissolving into anarchy).
Libertarianism is a more logically consistent version of the same philosophy, but which additionally places the regulation of labor, advertisement, and industry beyond the scope of government; as well as any private behavior, such as Sabbath-breaking, sex outside marriage, the use of intoxicating drugs or alcohol, gambling, prostitution, smoking tobacco, helmetless motorcycling, or in short, anything not breaking a contract, committing a fraud, trespassing on private land, or disturbing the peace.
The simple reason for placing these things in the private sphere and beyond the reach of government is that the risk (using the power to quell public disorder to quell honest but merely annoying private immorality) outweighs the rewards (using the power to quell public disorder to preserve an honest and lawful union).
The difference between classical Enlightenment theory and Libertarianism is one of degree, not of kind: it is the difference between Limited Government and Very Limited Government.
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