Re: Capital punishment and death by any other artificial means.

Hagbard Celine (hagbard@ix.netcom.com)
Sun, 22 Jun 1997 02:08:59 -0400


Abraham Moses Genen wrote:
>
> Mark Grant wrote:
>
> On Sat, 21 Jun 1997, Tony Hollick wrote:
>
> > It is quite extraordinary that anarchists or libertarians
> -- of all people
> > -- should endorse the death 'penalty.' All this can lead
> to in practice is
> > assassinations and coldly calculated judicial murders by
> the State. Or
> > lynch mobs.
>
> Hardly; in an anarcho-capitalist society you have a choice
> as to whether
> you subscribe to a legal system which allows capital
> punishment.

What?! I interpret this to mean that you can subscribe to what people
call "legal systems" and still be an anarchist. If I'm wrong, tell me.
My point, based upon what I understand anarchism to be, is that if you
subscribe to a "legal system" created by another, you are not an
anarchist. As an anarchist you are advocating a return to the state of
nature (which may or may not be a good thing).

I have to admit that IMO, anarchism is not the be-all and end-all of
human existence. Hobbes' Leviathan convinced me of that years ago. But I
do want to hone my views. Please, anarchist apologists, convince me
you're right.

-- 
Hagbard Celine

Absolutely and definitely not a clerk of the nostalgia of the declining ruling class.