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Ben Ewing
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It’s a good point generally but the limitation is hardware. Running anything like a frontier model requires massive GPU compute or using cloud compute, which is then at the behest of a big corp. Until hardware catches up to the models the open source dream will stay just a dream

You weren’t very effective when you were actually attempting to have an argument and now you’re trying to argue without one?

You too. Here’s a freebie: a sneer has yet to win an argument

Not really. If the US banned bitcoin there are plenty of other digital or fiat coins that could take its place, especially if the US introduced a CBDC. How many people would be talking about it as viable if it lost 99.99% of its value

Well not really. It claims it is rising because he wants it to. Think of it like a helium balloon that he’s watching rise, but holding a pin that everyone hopes to be able to ignore

Well they did. And bitcoin mining went from 70% of the world share to invisible on the graph in three years. And I explained that to you when you didn’t understand. And I invited you to supply evidence to the contrary and you declined. So if I’m the moron here I’m not sure what adjective is left for you.

So your story of truth is that they haven’t crushed bitcoin mining? Are you at least willing to condescend to let us know that much?

Give me a single historical example of where a nation that had hard currency (there have been hundreds) defeated a nation that could print

History’s far more replete with nations that were invaded that weren’t able to print.

Try crowdfunding a patriot battery when missiles are otw

So bitcoin removes the ability of the nation state to print (therefore to exist), yet somehow doesn’t remove the choice to hold stable reserve currencies? You could argue bitcoin has already removed our choice to do that.

Well he created it as peer to peer cash. It was to exchange value, not hold it in silos. So there’s actually two layers of issues with btc etfs, or three if you count the State knowing you hold it

Replying to smalltownrifle

I don't know why you're so miserable and angry šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚

Chill out a little bit will you?

The side of governments is not a very good side to be on man. I don't know what's gotten into you or what propaganda you've consumed.

I live in a country that used statistics to plan and heavily intervene into the economy for 44 years from 1947-1991. Then the government liberalised in 1991 imperfectly based on ideas from economic schools that rely on statistics and models like you do.

You cannot begin to comprehend what govt intervention does to society because the laws that you have in your country is built based on the ideas, ethics and morals I am repeating like a broken record.

Read all my replies to your posts. I have asked you questions you have not responded to. Maybe your client isn't showing those notifications so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

But I'll refute your claims anyway:

The argument that governments are necessary for peace, order, and justice is deeply flawed.

History shows that states are responsible for the greatest violations of human rights, including war, genocide, taxation, and mass surveillance. Furthermore, voluntary societies and private law systems have existed and functioned without a centralized state.

1. The claim that weak governments cause violence ignores the fact that governments have been the most violent entities in history:

20th Century Wars & Genocides (Government-led):

World War I: ~15 million deaths

World War II: ~70–85 million deaths

Mao’s Great Leap Forward: ~30–45 million deaths

Stalin’s Purges and Famines: ~20 million deaths

Pol Pot’s Cambodia: ~2 million deaths

Rwandan Genocide: ~800,000 deaths

Korean and Vietnam Wars: Hundreds of thousands of deaths

21st century war and genocides:

Second Congo War (1998–2003): 5.4 million deaths

Iraq War (2003–2011): 100,000+ civilian deaths

Syrian Civil War (2011–present): 500,000+ deaths

War in Afghanistan (2001–2021): 176,000+ deaths

Ukraine Conflict (2022–present): 1.7 million+ deaths

Darfur Genocide (2003–present): 300,000 deaths

Rohingya Crisis (2016–present): Thousands killed, 700,000+ displaced

Uyghur Persecution (2014–present): 1 million+ detained

Gaza Conflict (2023–2025): 24,100+ deaths

Even excluding war, governments have directly caused tens of millions of deaths through state-led famines, repression, and democide (mass murder by the state). Heard of socialism? Compare this to societies where localized conflicts never reach such devastating scales.

2. The False Comparison: Weak States vs. Strong States

The argument assumes that without government, society would resemble places like Mexico (cartel violence) or African war zones. But these are not examples of voluntary law societies—they are power vacuums left by failed states. They are government-caused break downs of law and order.

A better comparison would be:

Medieval Iceland - A private law society that operated peacefully for centuries.

Pre-colonial Ireland of Brehons - A decentralized system of law and restitution without a central state.

Somali Xeer Law - A voluntary arbitration system that persisted for centuries.

When private institutions enforce law, order emerges voluntarily and spontaneously, not through coercion.

2. 'Most People Would Choose the State'

The claim that most people ā€œchooseā€ the state is false because:

People do not actually choose governments—they are born into them and have no opt-out option.

Coercion does not equal consent. People comply with the state because it violently suppresses alternatives.

Appeal to popularity is a fallacy—historically, most people who lived under monarchy, serfdom, and state religion did not choose them.

If governments were truly voluntary, taxation would be optional, and people could freely choose their legal and defense systems. The state refuses to allow this competition because it cannot survive without coercion.

3. 'Not Being Able to Opt Out Is a Strength'

The idea that the state’s monopoly on law and violence is a strength is an open endorsement of tyranny:

By this logic, slavery, forced military conscription, and totalitarian regimes would also be 'strong' because people cannot opt out.

Strength does not equal morality - the mafia and North Korea are 'strong' in their ability to suppress dissent, but that does not justify their existence.

A voluntary society allows individuals to choose their legal systems. If the state were truly necessary, people would voluntarily fund and support it rather than being forced to through taxation and conscription.

4. What Happens When People Opt Out of Private Law?

The argument assumes that opting out of a private law system leads to chaos. This is false because:

Private law functions through contractual agreements - if someone refuses to participate, they simply lose access to protection, legal recognition, and arbitration.

Today, private arbitration, security, and dispute resolution already exist, even under state monopolies. Removing the state would only strengthen them through market competition.

Example: Insurance companies, private courts, and security firms already enforce rules today. Just like refusing to pay for health insurance means losing coverage, refusing to engage in private law means losing protection and legal recognition.

A system based on voluntary agreements and incentives is far more stable than one based on coercion.

5. 'Competing Defense Agencies Would Be Gangs or Mafias'

A common myth is that in a voluntary society, private protection agencies would act like criminal gangs. But this ignores how competition and market incentives prevent this behavior:

The mafia thrives due to state prohibition and black markets, not because voluntary law creates crime.

In contrast, private companies today compete in arbitration, private security, and enforcement without degenerating into war.

Governments themselves are the biggest organized crime syndicates, engaging in:

Taxation (legalized theft)

Conscription (legalized kidnapping)

War (legalized mass murder)

If Apple and Microsoft settle disputes through courts rather than violence, why would competing private defense agencies act differently?

A private security firm that engaged in shakedowns would lose customers and be replaced—unlike the state, which has no competition and no accountability.

6. 'Wouldn’t the Rich Buy Justice?'

The idea that only the wealthy would get justice in a private system ignores that the rich already manipulate state-run justice systems:

Governments bail out banks while letting small businesses fail.

Politicians are immune to laws that apply to everyone else.

Corporate lobbying and crony capitalism ensure that justice is bought by the highest bidder.

Under private law, justice providers compete. If a private law firm became known for favoritism, customers would switch to a more impartial provide - something impossible under a state monopoly.

Today, many businesses prefer private arbitration over government courts because it is faster, cheaper, and fairer. Private law ensures justice through competition, not coercion.

7. Migration doesn’t prove bigger government is better

People migrate for economic opportunity, not for big government.

India has lower government spending than Australia, but GDP per capita is far lower - this explains migration, not the size of government.

If large government spending attracted migrants, people would move to Venezuela or Zimbabwe instead of places with free markets like Singapore and Hong Kong.

People move to more free countries with better property rights and freer markets, not just those with high state intervention.

1. Governments are the largest sources of war and violence, not private actors.

2. People do not 'choose' the state—it is imposed on them.

3. Coercion is not a strength—voluntary law systems function through incentives, not force.

4. Private law operates through contracts—opting out does not mean chaos.

5. Competing defense agencies would act like businesses, not gangs.

6. The rich already manipulate state justice—competition ensures fairness.

7. People migrate for economic opportunity, not bigger government.

Non-aggression, voluntary association, property rights, and self-ownership are best realized in a system where law and defense are provided through voluntary means, not through a coercive monopoly.

The state is not the solution - it is the greatest violator of these principles.

Another book recommendation in addition to For a New Liberty by Rothbard which recommended earlier:

Ethics of Liberty by the same person.

So when are you moving to Somalia?

You’re not actually debating, just repeating the same ideology like a broken record. I gave you real-world examples, but you ignored them because they don’t fit your fantasy. If you ever decide to engage with reality instead of hiding behind theory, let me know. Until then, keep pretending you’re above it all.

Replying to smalltownrifle

I do have examples which I won't give because of reasons I just laid out.

And also because I am not interested in 'winning' this argument. There is no such thing.

I am using this exchange to articulate my ideas and make it better. You're providing a service to me with your time and energy free of cost. So thanks for that. Appreciate it.

Using Reason is how people evolve from being barbarians to civilized human beings.

If people relied on empirical analysis to assess whether slavery was good or bad, whether theft was good or bad, whether war was good or bad, whether invasions were good are bad, the world would be a more horrible, uncivilized place than it already is thanks to people who do that right now.

Empiricism is the death of ethics and morality.

This conversation at its heart is about what the ideal way of defending one's person and property is. It's an ethical argument about what is right and wrong in the realm of politics, which is essentially concerned with the ethics of violence.

We both agree that it is moral, righteous and just to defend, if need be with the use of violence, one's person and property against an aggressor.

To arrive at this, we do not use empirical evidence. We use 'theoretical' and 'logical' reasoning about what is right and wrong.

If a person or a group of people around us suddenly call themselves the government and steals from someone with the claim that he will be protected in the future, that is wrong. It would indeed be organised crime. Applying this same reasoning to the governments that already exist today is simply being consistent.

So governments of today are essentially organised criminals if you and I agree on the principle of self-ownership and private property.

Getting them out of humanity's social functioning, at whatever point in the future, gradually or preferably as fast as possible, is a pretty good ideal to have.

Regarding your theory about India: It's not just India. It's like that everywhere. Nobody can 'fix' anybody. Statists like you have this fantasy of thinking that people can somehow be shaped according to your preferences. Well, they can't be.

Besides, I don't want to 'fix' other people. I want to get the governments and other forms of organised aggression out of their lives, businesses, properties and families.

Ok so you’re saying morality can only be achieved where there is no group against the individual , with the group being governments, organised crime or some version of private arbitration. No one should be above to use either the power of physical force or coercion via a group to compel an individual to act in a certain way. But you’re still not providing a safeguard if any single individual chooses not to respect these values. And then you say that violence is justified if someone breaches them, but who enforces that? You can say ā€˜the individual’, but what about for people that are unable or unwilling to enforce that themselves? What about people who want to pay others to do it (which is likely what would happen and what essentially the government is). And who determines how much property theft justifies what level of violence? If in this world if someone steals my pen, can I kill them? Governments also prescribe a single set of rules which everyone can learn.

It’s all well and good if you want to say that in an ideal world, or in purely abstract moral terms things would be best if there was no need for a single set of rules enforced by a single central authority, but who cares? You’re basically saying that governments are immoral because they impose force on individuals, but refuse to accept that many individuals don’t respect others in the first place. The collective is the least bad solution to the failings of many individuals.

You equate my reply and

yours while ignoring the fact that we had an entire discussion in between... Not that I’m surprised- you seem incapable of understanding that you don’t just win an argument with theory- you have to actually provide examples that connect it to reality, and it’s clear you don’t have one.

If we’re just throwing out theories, how about this one: India is broken because Indian people are broken, and no system will fix that?

Mises and Hayek didn’t make blanket statements that governments are universally bad no matter their makeup or reach. They didn’t argue for an absence of government, they argued for a government that allowed the free market to function. Without a government there can be no rule of law so there can be no market because there is no way to enforce contracts

In other words you have no evidence it works so just try to say that coercion and violence is never justified (so you wouldn’t coerce a violent criminal to be punished??) under any circumstances.

If your argument was any good you wouldn’t have to try so hard to sound smart

So you’re selectively ignoring the good and saying that the bad a government causes will outweigh the good eventually, if we extrapolate far enough into the future. That’s ridiculous, like claiming a baby will cause more harm than good, so the baby is bad now.

That also doesn’t work. You’re doing the same thing, pointing to some examples as justification for the failure of the entire group or the group’s inability to create a system that works better than no system.

1. You can use examples of bad policy as justification for those policies being bad, not that government is inevitably bad. You’re selectively ignoring the good.

2. So you’re basically saying that so long as humans are perfect beings who universally perfectly respect the institution of money, property rights and voluntary contracts then outcomes will be better if there is no government as a justification for why imperfect humans who have and can never universally do this don’t need government