Chaos Theory
Two Essays on Market Anarchy by Robert P. Murphy
with an introduction by Jeremy Sapienza
This audiobook version is recorded by Jock Coates in Oxford, England
All men with honour are kings, but not all kings have honour
Liam Neeson, Rob Roy
Forward. This book is dedicated to those who believe government is a necessary evil. You're half right.
The following essays show that the two most crucial functions of government, law and defense, can be efficiently supplied on the free market.
The state is thus shown to be completely unnecessary.
Anarchy, the absence of coercive government, must not be confused with chaos.
Rather than engage in philosophical debates over values, I focus instead on the mechanics
of anarcho-capitalism, or market anarchy, the only social system that respects the sanctity
of property rights and contract.
Rather than tackle the socialist ideal of equality, I offer the market anarchist ideal
and the Bill of Equity. I ultimately leave it to the reader to decide which system, state
or market is the better arrangement. Bob Murphy
Acknowledgements
My intellectual debt in anarchist theory belongs hands down to the late great Murray Rothbard
1916-1995. More broadly, my view of how the world works is due primarily to that fount
of wisdom Ludwig von Mises' treatise Human Action.
The original idea and introduction for this book came from Jeremy Sapienza. Robert Vroman
provided the wonderful, if somewhat disturbing, artwork that so mercifully interrupts the
The Monopatony of the Text
Matt Pramschuffer laid out the cover design.
Zach Crossan and Pete Johnson reviewed an early draft of this book.
I am grateful for the kind remarks of Lew Rockwell and Jean Callahan, two modern-day
heroes in the war of ideas, featured on the back cover.
I would like to thank the participants on Anti-States Forum for their constant, if sometimes
and crude criticism and questioning of my decidedly unorthodox views.
Rachel Anne Ferrado played an indispensable role in providing constant encouragement and suggestions.
And finally, I must thank Ron Pramshofer and the rest of the staff at RJ Communications
for making it look like I've published before.