You will find an improved version of what you cited in the chapter on Iceland in my _Legal Systems Very Different from Ours_. When I wrote my initial article Gragas, the surviving collection of laws, had not been translated. Now it has.
That was a very interesting example. Thank you for sharing it. Several things come to mind. First, when Europeans first came to America, there were as many as 100 million native Americans. There were only 60 million people in Europe. These numbers come from the book Lies My Teacher Told Me.
The Europeans were used to living under a kingdom. The native Americans lived in tribes. Despite the propaganda of savages that many people still believe, the vast majority of tribes were nonviolent and passive. For example, there were many tribes living in the Pacific Northwest, but only one of them attacked other tribes and it was mainly to steal horses and women.
Europeans brought disease that killed 95% of the native population. That's why they were easily conquered. But until then, they seem to be the best example of dispersed groups of anarchy. They traded but largely left each other alone. The main punishment was simply to be ejected from the tribe. However, they didn't believe individuals could own land and often didn't own property, which was used by anyone in the tribe. I'm sure that helped as most legal examples are about property.
Which brings up the issue of corporations. Corporations and governments don't really exist. They are fictitious entities, created on paper that everyone agrees to sort of like the emperor's clothes. However, they have great power because they are given the same rights as an individual but without the consequences. Governments also have power without consequences. For example, a corporation can commit atrocities and it can't go to jail because it doesn't really exist. All it can do is be fined. It allows many people to band together under a pseudo-government Identity and essentially do what they want. They can pollute, they can topple governments, they can fund campaigns and lobby and offer jobs to control politicians, etc. And if the company is caught, the worst thing that happens is it is fined. But the people who make those decisions are free to keep all the money they made and go without punishment.
In Iceland and with Native Americans, It seems like a fundamental principle was the limit of power to individuals and their relatives. Once you have a fictitious entity with thousands or millions of times, the wealth of an individual, that behaves psychopathically because its only goal is wealth, doesn't that throw a wrench in the system of anarchy? Isn't that equivalent to a government organization? Indeed, one vision of the future is corporations ruling the world, which one could argue they already do as they exert so much political influence. How would big corporations factor into anarchy? All of the examples I've read so far are local examples with local companies that are small. What happens with large companies that have much more power than individuals?
May I endorse your remarks on the French Revolution. The growth of the state in Europe was a function of war increasingly well organised and well funded (cf Jouvenal). The lumières provided an ideology which gave to these perpetual war machines a metaphysical cohesion. Thenceforth the state would be that in which we live and move and have our being.
I’m ready for an alternative. This capitalistic system based on materialism is soul sucking and not working for 98% of people. Our priorities are so skewed that we don’t even have compassion for each other anymore. Let’s figure this out, get out of their lousy system and start living as our Creator intended.
Funnily enough, the distributed ledger technology known as blockchain is a very powerful tool which could enable these types of local polities. When every individual controls his or her data - instead of the centralizing State doing so in very hackable, easily stealable form - then ad hoc political agreements are easier to come together.
One government employee, part time. That would be the maximum. The problem will come up that there are always a few people who want more than anyone else. Nothing wrong with that until that more becomes everything.
Humans are not yet evolved emotionally to survive without "fairness" and "equality" as the ruling concept. To be able to look at thy neighbor who has more and say, so what? Instead we say it's not fair. Then we expect someone to come along and equalize everything. Human ego cannot get past that.
We are far from the point where we no longer feel the need to transgress against thy neighbor. Then that leads to demanding equality, fairness and justice...all fleeting desires of the mind, not reality.
I restacked this excellent article and I love Iceland and am one of the few to actually touch down there. I wanted to take a ferry there a few years ago but the service was discontinued. Rough seas and no passengers I assume from Shetland. Still, you can get to the Faroe islands, but some refuse to go due to their traditional hunting methods.
As for Iceland it was voted happiest country on earth with a 100% literacy rate - - oh and it's 99.9% white, an inconvenient truth for some and absolutely no correlation with the above facts at all, whatsoever... Lol.
Iceland was one of the fewer that survived that 2008 Mortgage and Credit Default Swap scheme. By kicking out the corrupted Banks & Principal individuals they found to be involved. Good on them. Why didn't the US Congress ot President follow their leaderships actions, do you think Chris?
Still pondering but clearly the less Laws and Rules the better but only possible IF THE PREDATOR/PARASITES ARE ERADICATED! 99% of our problems comes from them. They openly say/write 80% of us should be eradicated.
You will find an improved version of what you cited in the chapter on Iceland in my _Legal Systems Very Different from Ours_. When I wrote my initial article Gragas, the surviving collection of laws, had not been translated. Now it has.
A late draft of the book is webbed at http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Legal%20Systems/LegalSystemsContents.htm
A man can only hold what he can defend.
_Legal Systems_ also discussed some other stateless systems and the general issue of how what I call feud law works.
That was a very interesting example. Thank you for sharing it. Several things come to mind. First, when Europeans first came to America, there were as many as 100 million native Americans. There were only 60 million people in Europe. These numbers come from the book Lies My Teacher Told Me.
The Europeans were used to living under a kingdom. The native Americans lived in tribes. Despite the propaganda of savages that many people still believe, the vast majority of tribes were nonviolent and passive. For example, there were many tribes living in the Pacific Northwest, but only one of them attacked other tribes and it was mainly to steal horses and women.
Europeans brought disease that killed 95% of the native population. That's why they were easily conquered. But until then, they seem to be the best example of dispersed groups of anarchy. They traded but largely left each other alone. The main punishment was simply to be ejected from the tribe. However, they didn't believe individuals could own land and often didn't own property, which was used by anyone in the tribe. I'm sure that helped as most legal examples are about property.
Which brings up the issue of corporations. Corporations and governments don't really exist. They are fictitious entities, created on paper that everyone agrees to sort of like the emperor's clothes. However, they have great power because they are given the same rights as an individual but without the consequences. Governments also have power without consequences. For example, a corporation can commit atrocities and it can't go to jail because it doesn't really exist. All it can do is be fined. It allows many people to band together under a pseudo-government Identity and essentially do what they want. They can pollute, they can topple governments, they can fund campaigns and lobby and offer jobs to control politicians, etc. And if the company is caught, the worst thing that happens is it is fined. But the people who make those decisions are free to keep all the money they made and go without punishment.
In Iceland and with Native Americans, It seems like a fundamental principle was the limit of power to individuals and their relatives. Once you have a fictitious entity with thousands or millions of times, the wealth of an individual, that behaves psychopathically because its only goal is wealth, doesn't that throw a wrench in the system of anarchy? Isn't that equivalent to a government organization? Indeed, one vision of the future is corporations ruling the world, which one could argue they already do as they exert so much political influence. How would big corporations factor into anarchy? All of the examples I've read so far are local examples with local companies that are small. What happens with large companies that have much more power than individuals?
May I endorse your remarks on the French Revolution. The growth of the state in Europe was a function of war increasingly well organised and well funded (cf Jouvenal). The lumières provided an ideology which gave to these perpetual war machines a metaphysical cohesion. Thenceforth the state would be that in which we live and move and have our being.
I’m ready for an alternative. This capitalistic system based on materialism is soul sucking and not working for 98% of people. Our priorities are so skewed that we don’t even have compassion for each other anymore. Let’s figure this out, get out of their lousy system and start living as our Creator intended.
Funnily enough, the distributed ledger technology known as blockchain is a very powerful tool which could enable these types of local polities. When every individual controls his or her data - instead of the centralizing State doing so in very hackable, easily stealable form - then ad hoc political agreements are easier to come together.
One government employee, part time. That would be the maximum. The problem will come up that there are always a few people who want more than anyone else. Nothing wrong with that until that more becomes everything.
Humans are not yet evolved emotionally to survive without "fairness" and "equality" as the ruling concept. To be able to look at thy neighbor who has more and say, so what? Instead we say it's not fair. Then we expect someone to come along and equalize everything. Human ego cannot get past that.
We are far from the point where we no longer feel the need to transgress against thy neighbor. Then that leads to demanding equality, fairness and justice...all fleeting desires of the mind, not reality.
Glad I could point you to an interesting topic.
Though if I’m going to start getting quoted on Substack, maybe I need to get myself a pseudonym, like all the other cool kids…😄
I restacked this excellent article and I love Iceland and am one of the few to actually touch down there. I wanted to take a ferry there a few years ago but the service was discontinued. Rough seas and no passengers I assume from Shetland. Still, you can get to the Faroe islands, but some refuse to go due to their traditional hunting methods.
As for Iceland it was voted happiest country on earth with a 100% literacy rate - - oh and it's 99.9% white, an inconvenient truth for some and absolutely no correlation with the above facts at all, whatsoever... Lol.
Wonderful piece.
Iceland was one of the fewer that survived that 2008 Mortgage and Credit Default Swap scheme. By kicking out the corrupted Banks & Principal individuals they found to be involved. Good on them. Why didn't the US Congress ot President follow their leaderships actions, do you think Chris?
Still pondering but clearly the less Laws and Rules the better but only possible IF THE PREDATOR/PARASITES ARE ERADICATED! 99% of our problems comes from them. They openly say/write 80% of us should be eradicated.
Bobby Fisher the genius chess grandmaster escaped to Iceland before they eventually killed him.
Vikings built long boats, and I just watched a documentary about them plundering Newfoundland forests for timber last month.