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RE: Countries don't exist. Continents and Cities exist, but countries are imaginary.

in #anarchy7 years ago

Good point. Google's servers exist, but the organisation only exists as a shared mental construct.
Nobody's forcing others to participate in Google, though; so it's like a bridge or badminton club.
Believers in countries tend to impose this belief on others under threat of force, which is where it becomes a problem.

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The difference between the two of us, I think, is that you don't believe that there is any function in society that requires the threat of violence and violence itself while I believe that the threat of violence is necessary, for among other things, to defend private property. At least I hope that you would agree that just because someone doesn't believe that Google exists that doesn't mean that Google doesn't exist, in the same way that Santa Clause doesn't exist. And that therefore countries still exist even if you may not believe that they do because just because something is a mental construct that doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't exist.

I don't believe there's a valid role for aggression in society; (the initiation of violence).
Retaliatory or defensive violence certainly has a role, I'm no pacifist.
The state isn't a tool for the defence of private property, it's 'existence' requires the violation of private property through taxation.