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Lumifer comments on Why capitalism? - Less Wrong Discussion

6 Post author: Algon 03 May 2015 06:16PM

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Comment author: Lumifer 07 May 2015 06:18:23PM 0 points [-]

Any entity which acts as the final enforcer for any set of rules at -all- is a government;

So in a traditional (patriarchal) household, each husband is a government, right? And all parents, too?

Comment author: OrphanWilde 07 May 2015 06:28:21PM 1 point [-]

No, because few husbands or parents are willing or able to act as final enforcers.

Final enforcement requires unlimited escalation. No matter how you escalate the situation, a final enforcer will escalate back.

Comment author: Lumifer 07 May 2015 06:52:35PM *  1 point [-]

Is this equivalent to saying that a government is any entity which has the will and the ability to kill you if it deems necessary?

And I think that parents of small children are final enforcers. No one sues their five-year-old for throwing a tantrum.

Comment author: OrphanWilde 07 May 2015 07:21:26PM 1 point [-]

Is this equivalent to saying that a government is any entity which has the will and the ability to kill you if it deems necessary?

  • "If necessary to enforce rules" might be a slightly better modification; somebody who kills you because it's more convenient than not killing you isn't necessarily trying to govern your behavior, after all.

And I think that parents of small children are final enforcers. No one sues their five-year-old for throwing a tantrum.

  • They're unwilling or unable to escalate.
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