The quest for a stateless society is futile because the inevitable rule of the politically strong over the weak makes government also inevitable, argued Randall G. Holcombe in the Winter 2004 issue of The Independent Review. But the arguments Holcombe used to question the viability of libertarian anarchy can also be used to argue against the viability the limited government he favors, and the arguments he uses in favor of the viability of limited government also support the viability of anarchy.

Peter T. Leeson is BB&T Professor for the Study of Capitalism at George Mason University.
Edward P. Stringham is a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute; Kathryn Wasserman Davis Professor of Economic Organizations and Innovation and Deputy Director of the Shelby Cullom Davis Endowment at Trinity College; and contributor to the book In all Fairness: Equality, Liberty, and the Quest for Human Dignity.
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