Summary

Ranks political ideologies by theoretical absurdity and practical danger. Defends practical anarchism while critiquing Marxism and blank statism.

Key Concepts:

Marxism (Most Theoretically Absurd):

  • Promises withering away of state, class, money without clear mechanisms
  • Unrealistic view of human nature and economic incentives
  • Despite mainstream academic acceptance, theoretically incoherent

Libertarianism (Least Absurd):

  • Minimal coercion, voluntary interactions through markets
  • Grounded in real mechanisms: price signals, contracts
  • May oversimplify externalities and enforcement, but fundamentally sound

Anarchism (Requires Distinction):

  • Naive anarchism: Expects large-scale coordination without enforcement—practically absurd
  • Practical anarchism (anarcho-capitalism, market anarchism): Addresses incentives, property rights, dispute resolution through decentralized mechanisms—theoretically robust, empirically defensible

Blank Statism (Most Dangerous):

  • Omnipotent yet ideologically void state
  • Assumes centralized coercive power produces positive outcomes without guiding principles
  • Vulnerable to authoritarian exploitation

Rankings:

  • Theoretical absurdity: Marxism
  • Practical absurdity: Naive anarchism
  • Danger: Blank statism
  • Credible alternative: Practical anarchism

Tags

Cross-References

  • Related: Anarcho-capitalism
  • Related: Market mechanisms and coordination
  • Related: Earlier posts critiquing state authority
  • Related: Incentive alignment problems

Notes

  • Apparently responds to a poll (context not fully in post)
  • Defends anarcho-capitalism as serious position
  • Published June 7—part of sustained high-output period
  • Clarifies author’s position on political spectrum: anarcho-capitalist direction
  • Demonstrates pattern of distinguishing naive from sophisticated versions of ideas