Iâd push back a bit on âthe state is inevitable.â Elites are inevitableâpeople who coordinate resources, influence flows of trade, and maintain order in some sphere. But âthe stateâ is a specific thing: a monopoly on law and enforcement backed by coercion, insulated from competition.
What youâre describingâsomeone controlling business flowsâdoesnât have to be a state in the political sense. In a free order, those flows could be managed by competing firms, insurers, or defense agencies, all constrained by reputation and the ability of customers to walk away. The difference is between natural elites (earned influence, voluntary dealings) and political elites (imposed influence, involuntary dealings).
Black markets are just markets where the state says, âwe forbid thisââbut if the good or service is valued enough, people will find ways to trade. The question isnât whether someone will facilitate the flowâitâs whether they do it under competitive discipline or with monopoly power.
As for âwhen do you accept it and when do you hang them?ââin a truly voluntary order, you donât need gallows to keep elites in check; you need the freedom to exit their service. Thatâs the ultimate discipline. The moment you canât walk away is the moment youâre no longer dealing with a market eliteâyouâre under a state, whether it flies a flag or not.
Yes and if elites are inevitable, then it follows that inevitably they will organise themselves to (A) protect their elite status and (B) benefit from their elite status.
Thus the distinction you draw between natural and political elites is kind of arbitrary. They are elite in comparison to others in the community who look up to them/defer to them/acknowledge their authority. So if one community member does that voluntarily and another party does not, in practical terms it makes no difference - you can ignore the Godfatherâs edict and his authority the same as you can be a sovcit and deny the cops authority; youâre still flesh and bone and that bullet wonât discriminate.
Anyway I think youâd find that book interesting, just to pull together some concepts about how elites are going to act regardless of voluntary associations or not.
Fair pointâany elite, natural or political, will work to protect and expand its position. The distinction Iâm making isnât about motives but about tools. A mafia boss and a police chief both have guns, but only one can tax you by law and outlaw his competition. That legal monopoly is what makes political elites far harder to dislodge. The danger is when voluntary elites gain so much control that âexitâ stops being a real optionâat that point, theyâve effectively become a state.
I'll look more into your recommendation. Thanks for this exchange đ€
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