A Land Without Law

[Arch Enemy]

I have always wondered what it would be like to live in a land without laws, some foreign land that has no connection with any outside world that only has to worry about herself.
Then I came to the conclusion that this realm is just a fantasy, that if there was no antagonisms between closely related people, then there would be no need for the state to protect and govern. However, I also realized that it is a human condition to create itself a slight hierarchy; people take leads in dancing, group projects, when discussing issues, standing in line, almost everything leads to someone first or someone taking the initiative.

I want to see what y'all have to say about.
A land without laws? What it would look like? Whether the human condition would allow for no laws, or no government? How would getting stuff work out in a land without laws? Finally, would a land without laws have it's own, natural order? Or is our natural order the consent of the institution that governs us?

 

[BmanMcfly]

Are you talking about the idea of anarchism?? Not to be confused with ANARCHY?

The idea of anarchism is that : Each individual be treated equally and maintains his status in the society as long as he remains a productive member of the society. When a person dies his wealth is then spread equally amongst everyone in the town, because to have an inheritance gives too much of an advantage to any one individual over time, encourages them to not remain productive, and so on.

In an anarchistic society, there are no laws because all individuals have a high moral standing, and anyone breaking conventions of morality would deal with the rest of the village directly, possibly expulsion from society.

I would say that it IS possible... but NOT with todays society... because the majority of people lack the moral high ground to maintain living without rules and the dictates of a hierarchical structure. I have heard before of 'anarchistic communes' but that was only small groups.... and they were mostly all smelly tree hugging hippies.

 

[Ambracia]

It exists and its called Somalia

 

[BmanMcfly]

It exists and its called Somalia

That would be the difference between a 'land without laws' and a 'lawless land'.

 

[BulletWounD]

Are you talking about the idea of anarchism?? Not to be confused with ANARCHY?

The idea of anarchism is that : Each individual be treated equally and maintains his status in the society as long as he remains a productive member of the society. When a person dies his wealth is then spread equally amongst everyone in the town, because to have an inheritance gives too much of an advantage to any one individual over time, encourages them to not remain productive, and so on.

In an anarchistic society, there are no laws because all individuals have a high moral standing, and anyone breaking conventions of morality would deal with the rest of the village directly, possibly expulsion from society.

I would say that it IS possible... but NOT with todays society... because the majority of people lack the moral high ground to maintain living without rules and the dictates of a hierarchical structure. I have heard before of 'anarchistic communes' but that was only small groups.... and they were mostly all smelly tree hugging hippies.

This is a vast oversimplification of anarchism. There are many schools of anarchism and many would claim that the type of society you're talking about is contrary to the ideal of anarchism (others deciding what one should do with his money).

Law is necessary not to prevent crime (it doesn't) but to provide justice. In a land without law there would be no means of providing justice. This would inevitably result in fomenting animosity between men, factionalization, and the collapse of the said society into multiple societies (Somalia).

Most advocates of anarchism don't advocate an absence of laws, but an absence of leaders. Furthermore, most would advocate that laws be used to punish REAL CRIME rather than a means of social control.