Choose Your Perfection

New Delhi: June 8, 2008: 1000hrs
I am sometimes dubbed an “utopian”, but socialists are utopians too.

How do these two utopias differ? – that is the question I seek to answer in this post.

The socialist utopia is a “perfect society” of equalized incomes, and their chosen instrument is the government.

That is, they will use the powers of the State to set up their utopian perfect society.

How do people like me differ?

My utopia is not a perfect society at all; rather, it is a “perfect liberty”.

This perfect liberty is obtained by allowing human society to flourish in the free market of voluntary individualistic exchanges.

There is a complete absence of the use of force in this natural order of natural liberty.

Understanding this natural order is my “social science”, and it reveals how we are all “rule-following individuals” when we interact in markets.

If at all a government is required, that too at the local level, its only task is to go after the enemies of the natural order of the market – the pirates, robbers and other criminals who use force.

It therefore follows that when we use the expression “rule of law” we mean that the government and all its organs are placed under this law. No one can use force indiscriminately.

To the socialist, “rule of law” means State control of society through legislation. This, while the organs of the State are lawless. (See my “The Real Outlaws”.)

The crucial difference thus is on the idea of State: the socialists look upon the State as something “good”, through which “good things” can be done.

We look upon the State as something dangerous – because it can use force – and which must be kept under tight control.

We look upon the market as “good”, from which all “good things’ come to us.

Which would you choose: the perfect society or the perfect liberty?