September 1, 2003
Do Pessimistic Assumptions About Human Behavior Justify Government?
Benjamin Powell
Professor of Economics, Texas Tech UniversityChristopher Coyne
Associate Director, F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
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To speak with a scholar or learn more on this topic, visit our contact page.This paper has considered two accounts of the evolution from a state of nature to a social order that allows for interaction and exchange. Both accounts begin with pessimistic assumptions about individuals in the absence of a central government. In both cases, the authors conclude that the state, with a monopoly on force, is in the interest of all in society.
Read the article at the Journal of Libertarian Studies.