asdf: I think the debate here is not whether the NAP is morally acceptable, but whether it's practical to implement. FirstAscent is arguing that any system adhering strictly to the NAP will eventually evolve into a system violating the NAP due to human nature.
Sure. That's what I meant when I said "should we base social organization on the principal of non-aggression?". Should we from a moral basis. Should we from a pragmatic basis.
On a micro level, transactions can be voluntary or involuntary (involving violent coercion). Which is more practical? It's hard to make a pragmatic case for coercion here. In a voluntary transaction, both parties win, there is an overall net gain. In a forceful transaction, one party wins and there is typically a net loss.
On a macro level, I've found that all social problems have at their root cause a violation of the non-aggression principal and a disrespect for property. Which makes sense when you understand that coercive transactions pervert the incentive structures. When non-voluntary transactions are acceptable you create an environment where socially destructive behavior is incentivised; the function of the market is corrupted.
NAP is not a policy to "implement". It's a principal that people can either abide by or not. Advocates of NAP are not saying that NAP should be some sort of law or decree imposed upon society, that would be contradictory. We are just saying that it's a good principal for people to live by. We are trying to convince others of this, because everyone benefits. Some can't accept it because of their desire to use the force of the state to impose their personal vision of society on others.
So, do you think that people should live by this principal? Should people live by the principal that it is wrong to use violence in human interaction, except in self defense? Or is this an impractical principal for people to have? Does it lead to social disorder?
There is no such thing as human nature. Humans adapt to their environment. A person growing up in a violent, abusive environment will become a violent, abusive adult. Latest science backs this up.
