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A night watchman state, or a minimal state, is a form of government in political philosophy where the government's responsibilities are so minimal they cannot be reduced much further without becoming a form of anarchy. Libertarianism is a term used by a broad spectrum of political philosophies which prioritize individual Liberty and seek to minimize or even abolish the Agorism is an anarchist Political philosophy founded by Samuel Edward Konkin III that holds the ultimate goal as bringing about a society in which Anarcho-capitalism (also known as Free-market anarchism) is an individualist anarchist Political philosophy that advocates the elimination Autarchism (from Greek, "belief in self rule" is a Political philosophy that upholds the principle of Individual liberty, rejects compulsory Christian libertarianism should not be confused with Libertarian Christianity. Geolibertarianism is a Political movement that strives to reconcile Libertarianism and Georgism (or geoism) Green libertarianism is a Political philosophy that has developed in the United States. Individualist anarchism refers to any of several traditions that hold that "individual conscience and the pursuit of self-interest should not be constrained by any collective Left-libertarianism (or left-wing libertarianism) is a term that has been adopted by several different libertarian political movements and theorists Libertarian socialism is a group of political philosophies that aim to create a society without political economic or social hierarchies – a society in which all violent Individualist feminism (sometimes also grouped with libertarian feminism or ifeminism) is a term for feminist ideas which seek to celebrate Free-market anarchism (sometimes called market anarchism) refers to an Individualist anarchist Philosophy that harmonizes the abolition of the state with Market socialism is a term used to denote two different Economic system (s based in Socialism which operate according to Market principles In Civics, minarchism, sometimes called minimal Statism, small government, or limited-government Libertarianism Mutualism, is an Anarchist school of thought, can be traced to the writings of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon that envisioned a society where each person might possess a Neolibertarianism is a political philosophy combining elements of Libertarian and Neoconservative thought that embraces Incrementalism domestically Paleolibertarianism is a school of thought within American Libertarianism founded by Lew Rockwell and Murray Rothbard, and closely associated Right-libertarianism or right libertarianism is a phrase used to either describe non- Collectivist forms of Libertarianism or a variety of different libertarian Voluntaryism is a Philosophy that opposes anything that it sees as unjustifiably invasive and Coercive. Objectivism is a Philosophy developed by Ayn Rand in the 20th century that encompasses positions on Metaphysics, Epistemology, The Austrian School, also known as the “ Vienna School ” or the “ Psychological School ” is a heterodox school of economics that advocates Classical liberalism (also known as traditional liberalism, Laissez-faire liberalism, Market liberalism or in much of the world Individualist anarchism refers to any of several traditions that hold that "individual conscience and the pursuit of self-interest should not be constrained by any collective thumb| |Broken Liberty Istanbul Archaeology Museum Civil liberties are freedoms that protect the Individual from the Government. Counter-economics is a term originally coined by Samuel Edward Konkin III, a radical Libertarian activist and theorist who defined it as " the study and/or Decriminalization is the reduction or abolition of criminal penalties in relation to certain acts but regulated permits or fines might still apply (for contrast Economic freedom is freedom to produce trade and consume any goods and services acquired without the use of force fraud or theft A free market is a Market in which property rights are voluntarily exchanged at a price arranged completely by the mutual consent of sellers and buyers Free trade is a system in which the trade of goods and services between or within countries flows unhindered by government-imposed restrictions The question of free will Freedom of contract or contractualism is the idea that individuals should be free to bargain among themselves the terms of their own contracts without government interference The homestead principle (or original appropriation) is part of libertarian and anarcho-capitalist Ethics. Humanism is a broad category of ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appealing to universal Methodological individualism is a philosophical method aimed at explaining and understanding broad society-wide developments as the aggregation of decisions by individuals Laissez-faire ( pronunciation: French,; English,) is a French phrase literally meaning Let do (“allow to do” Liberty, the freedom to act or believe without being stopped by unnecessary force The non-aggression principle (also called the non-aggression axiom, anticoercion principle, or zero aggression principle) is a Deontological Nonintervention or non-interventionism is a foreign policy which holds that political rulers should avoid alliances with other nations and avoid all wars not related to direct Property is any physical or virtual entity that is owned by an individual Self-governance is an abstract concept that refers to several scales of Organization. Self-ownership (or sovereignty of the individual, individual sovereignty or individual autonomy) is the moral or natural right (aka Freedom of a person The subjective theory of value (or theory of subjective value) is an economic theory of value that holds that "to possess value an object must be both useful A tax resister resists or refuses payment of a Tax because of opposition to the institution collecting the tax or to some of that institution’s policies The libertarian movement consists of the various individuals and institutions who expound or promote the ideas and causes of Libertarianism. Libertarianism is a Political philosophy that emphasises the Liberty of the individual and seeks to minimize or even abolish the State. Many countries and subnational political entities have libertarian political parties. Libertarian theories of law build upon classical liberal and individualist anarchist doctrines Adherents of different ideologies have criticized Libertarianism for various reasons Civil libertarianism is a strain of political thought that supports Civil liberties, or who emphasizes the supremacy of Individual rights and Personal freedoms For the revolt in Brazil, see Constitutionalist Revolution. The term Constitutionalism is a word with a variety of meanings A libertarian Democrat is a person who subscribes to libertarian philosophy while typically voting for and being involved with the United States Democratic Party. A libertarian Republican (LR is a person who subscribes to libertarian philosophy while typically voting for and being involved with the United States Republican Party Libertarian transhumanism is a Political philosophy synthesizing Libertarianism and Transhumanism. A system of government is a term that refers to the set of political Institutions by which a Government of a State is organized in order to exert its powers Political philosophy is the study of questions about the City, Government, Politics, Liberty, Justice, Property, Rights The responsibilities in a hypothetical night watchman state would include the police, judicial systems, prisons and the military, the minimum allegedly required to uphold the law, which is limited to protecting individuals from coercion, fraud and theft, to requiring reparation to victims, and to defending the country from foreign aggression. Police are agents or agencies usually of the executive, empowered to enforce the law and to effect public and social order through the legitimatized use of force In Law, the judiciary or judicial system is the system of Courts which administer Justice in the name of the sovereign or State A prison, penitentiary, or correctional facility is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned and usually deprived of a range of A military is an Organization authorized by its Nation to use force usually including use of Weapons in defending its Country (or by attacking Coercion (co-er-shion is the practice of compelling a person or manipulating them to behave in an involuntary way (whether through action or inaction by use of threats In the broadest sense a fraud is a Deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual In Criminal law, theft (also known as stealing or filching) is the illegal taking of another person's Property without that person's freely-given In Jurisprudence, reparation is replenishment of a previously inflicted loss by the criminal to the victim The term night watchman state was coined in 19th century liberalism, and is a metaphor for a state that "sleeps" (i. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar Liberalism is a broad array of related ideas and theories of Government that consider individual Liberty to be the most important political goal e. , refrains from getting involved in citizens' lives) until someone's civil liberties are infringed. thumb| |Broken Liberty Istanbul Archaeology Museum Civil liberties are freedoms that protect the Individual from the Government.

The view proposing a minimal state is known as minarchism, and is a core part of the libertarian ideology. In Civics, minarchism, sometimes called minimal Statism, small government, or limited-government Libertarianism Libertarianism is a term used by a broad spectrum of political philosophies which prioritize individual Liberty and seek to minimize or even abolish the Minarchists propose to enforce a night watchman state with a clearly-defined constitution on the government's powers, and may also see it necessary to ensure the constitution cannot be amended after adoption. A constitution is a system for government often Codified as a written document that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity

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Arguments for a night watchman state

Minarchists argue that the state has no right to interfere in free transactions between people, and see the state's sole responsibility as ensuring that transactions between private individuals are free. In general, the majority of minarchists use deontological arguments: they claim that a minimal state is good in and of itself (for example because it fits their view of natural law), and that any further extension of government is inherently evil, even if it leads to good consequences. Deontological ethics or deontology (from Greek grc δέον deon, "obligation duty" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Natural law or the law of nature ( Latin: lex naturalis) is a theory that posits the existence of a law whose content is set by Nature and that The Objectivist philosophy of Ayn Rand is notable for its support of minarchism, believing that the taxes that fund government actions are essentially theft. Objectivism is a Philosophy developed by Ayn Rand in the 20th century that encompasses positions on Metaphysics, Epistemology, Ayn Rand (ˈaɪn ˈrænd &ndash March 6 1982 born Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum (Алиса Зиновьевна Розенбаум was a Russian born American In Civics, minarchism, sometimes called minimal Statism, small government, or limited-government Libertarianism Other minarchists, however, also attempt to bring consequentialist arguments. Consequentialism refers to those moral theories which hold that the consequences of a particular action form the basis for any valid moral judgment about that action Popperian libertarians argue that institutions and cultures evolve best without external interference from government. Sir Karl Raimund Popper ( July 28 1902  &ndash September 17 1994) was an Austrian and British Philosopher and a professor Sociocultural evolution(ism is an umbrella term for theories of cultural evolution and Social evolution, describing how Cultures and societies The adherents of the Austrian school believe that any state intervention in the economy is harmful. The Austrian School, also known as the “ Vienna School ” or the “ Psychological School ” is a heterodox school of economics that advocates

Arguments against a night watchman state

The groups of people who disagree with the notion of a minimal state are far more diverse than those who support it, and include nearly all political views other than libertarianism. Objections to the idea of a minimal state are likewise very diverse.

Specific political orientations and ideologies have specific objections to a night watchman state.

Social liberals and social democrats contend that the social organization of government is well-suited to provide through a welfare state care and protection for people disadvantaged on the market, or in a life stage or condition that involves some degree of dependency (people in a stage of childhood or old age, or engaged in unremunerated caretaking, etc. Social liberalism, also called new liberalism (as it was originally termed high liberalism radical liberalism, modern liberalism, or Social democracy is a Political ideology of the left and centre-left This article refers specifically to the Welfare state of the United Kingdom. , as well as people experiencing disability).

In contrast social conservatives argue that the state should maintain a moral outlook, and legislate against behavior with social destructive effect; that, indeed, the state can not survive if its citizens do not have a certain degree or kind of character, and so ignoring the state's role in forming people's dispositions can be disastrous. Social conservatism is a political or moral ideology that affirms the government's role in encouraging or enforcing traditional values or behaviors in the belief that these are what Morality (from the Latin la moralitas "manner character proper behavior" has three principal meanings [1]

One objection to the Night watchman state is that there is simply no need to reduce the government's attributions to such a minimal level using a rigid and inflexible minarchist constitution, and that it is best to evaluate the merits of government intervention in each issue on a case-by-case basis. According to Keynesians and other proponents of an economically interventionist state, a night watchman state could do nothing in face of such issues as economic recessions (see Keynesian economics). A recession is a contraction phase of the Business cycle. The U In Economics Keynesian economics (ˈkeɪnziən also Keynesianism and Keynesian Theory) is based on the ideas of twentieth-century British economist

Another is that if the powers of the night watchman state are limited by a constitution which cannot be amended by the people, then it is undemocratic. Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system

Others argue that the criterion "someone's civil liberties are infringed" is not as clear cut as it needs to be for such a state to work. [2] For instance, it may at first appear that "preventing someone from speaking" is an infringement on a person's civil liberties, but that would entitle permitting someone to speak on a loudspeaker outside people's homes in the middle of night.

Furthermore, to prevent fraud, the night watchman state would have to enforce all contracts that did not infringe on the rights of third parties; protecting a person from infringing his own rights would be a violation of his liberty

Insert the text of the quote here, without quotation marks.

. Yet, even many libertarians object to the enforcement of some contracts, such as those by which a person sold himself into life-long slavery.

Finally, a unique kind of criticism comes from anarchists, who argue that no state — not even a night watchman one — should exist. Anarchism is a Political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which support the elimination of all compulsory Government, i Right-wing anarchists argue that the goal of the night watchman state — protecting individuals from acts of coercion and theft — needs to be funded by taxes, which represent in fact a form of theft. Left-wing anarchists believe this formula is incoherent, since they see the institution of property as a form of coercion and theft itself.

Right to keep and bear arms

To ensure that the government does not breach the constitution, some minarchists are proponents of the right to keep and bear arms, assuming that citizens would support the minarchist constitution and arguing that the right to bear arms would enable them to defend themselves and the constitution from the excesses of state power itself. The right to keep and bear arms, RKBA, or right to bear arms is the concept that people individually or collectively have a right to Weapons Today this Minarchists in the United States interpret this as the meaning behind the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Second Amendment (Amendment II to the United States Constitution is a part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the pre-existing

See also

References

  1. ^ Gertrude Himmelfarb, "Liberty: 'One Very Simple Principle'?", p 97, On Looking into the Abyss ISBN 0-679-75923-9
  2. ^ Gertrude Himmelfarb, "Liberty: 'One Very Simple Principle'?", p 90, On Looking into the Abyss ISBN 0-679-75923-9
Gertrude Himmelfarb (born August 8 1922) also known as Bea Kristol, is an American Historian known for her studies of the Intellectual Gertrude Himmelfarb (born August 8 1922) also known as Bea Kristol, is an American Historian known for her studies of the Intellectual

Dictionary

night watchman state

-noun

  1. Political philosophy. A form of government where the government's responsibilities are so minimal that they cannot be reduced much further without becoming a form of anarchy.
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