Libertarianism ... is a theory of those who find it hard to avoid their taxes, who are too small, incompetent or insufficiently connected to win Iraq-reconstruction contracts, or otherwise chow at the state trough. In its maundering about a mythical ideal-type capitalism, libertarianism betrays its fear of actually existing capitalism, at which it cannot quite succeed. It is a philosophy of capitalist inadequacy.I've always had a suspicion that libertarianism was for the beta-males of the pack: resentful, isolationist, exiled, jealous, cunning. But Mieville correctly shows it for the joke it really is.
He also rightly points out that "the state" is the ultimate straw man in all right wing political arguments. The state does not limit power, it is the necessary circumstances that make real power possible by guaranteeing the property rights of the wealthy through law and through force. True anarcho-capitalist Libertarianism would require a huge investment in private security and mercenary armies-for -hire just to maintain minimal viability. It is a foolish fantasy for those who dream of being tycoons and gangsters.
[Via Crooked Timber]
