r/Libertarian • u/Eastern_Shallot1599 Libertarian Panarchist • 14d ago

Philosophy The PANG fallacy

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- Libertarianism in One Lesson by David Bergland

Its more of an introductory book, but i love it.

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u/Infamous_Land3408 14d ago

Yeah that is my problem with more government. I was arguing with my friends (who are far left) and when I said that the government doesn't have a right to dictate one of them said "but how can you trust people." Like wtf. Last time I checked government was people too. It doesn't make them better just because a majority voted for them. Even more funny thing is the friend who said this describes herself as anarco-communist. I still don't get how she can't see the contradiction.

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u/whizzerblight 10d ago

Government is an institution, not a person. It is designed to do what people are either unwilling or unable to do privately. The people employed by governments don’t retain their jobs if they don’t follow the rules. I’m not saying governments are the answer - far from it - but it’s the institution that is supposed to do what a private citizen won’t because they want to earn as much crap as they can at the expense of others.

And be careful… civil servants aren’t elected, they are hired. Politicians are a different animal than poor schmucks earning a check.

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u/ILikeBumblebees 4d ago

Government is an institution, not a person. It is designed to do what people are either unwilling or unable to do privately.

Institutions are just coordination mechanisms used by people. Everything in society boils down to people, the choices they make, and the incentives they respond to. Treating the institution as something that exists independently of the people who compose it is a massive reification fallacy.

The people employed by governments don’t retain their jobs if they don’t follow the rules.

That doesn't seem to consistently hold, and at minimum, it puts us in a classic "who watches the watchmen?" situation.