[Avodah] anarchy/libertarianism

[T613K at aol.com]

From: Steven J Scher _sjscher at eiu.edu_ (mailto:sjscher at eiu.edu) 


>> Is it permissible to be an anarchist 
or a libertarian?  <<

Steven J.  Scher                    

 
>>>>>>
Being an anarchist would not be compatible with what the Torah seems to  
consider the primary purpose of government -- maintaining order.  It says  in 
Pirkei Avos, "Pray for the welfare of the government, because without it,  
people would swallow each other alive."    The absolute  must-haves of a 
government are a military defense force to protect the country  from external 
enemies, and a police force, to protect people from each  other.  The 
government also has to provide a basic infrastructure, like  roads and water.  There 
also has to be some kind of taxing arm to raise the  funds to pay for the 
necessary functions.  All other functions are  doubtful, of dubious 
legitimacy and questionable utility.  There is  almost nothing the government can do 
that cannot better be done by the private  sector or by people acting on 
their own behalf.  Also, smaller and more  local units of government are more 
effective and less tyrannical than powerful,  distant, centralized units of 
government.
 
That being said, there is nothing in halacha that either requires or  
forbids Jews to belong to any particular political party in a democracy.
 
Libertarians are not consistent in what they believe and are not all the  
same.  To the extent that they tend to believe that the government should  
mostly leave people alone, that attitude is neither required nor forbidden by  
the Torah.    
 
I myself am a classical, 19th century liberal -- today known as a  
conservative, in American terms, but nothing like a European ("bring back the  
monarchy") right-wing kind of conservative.   Does the Torah require  us to be 
classical liberals a/k/a conservatives?  Yes, but only in the  sense that the 
Torah presupposes a Jewish people who are wise and  intelligent.  However, 
it is not, strictly speaking, assur to be  stupid.
 

--Toby  Katz
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