BUILDING THE SECOND REALM #11: LESSONS FROM ORGANIZED CRIME (LUA PODCAST #80)

Most everyone is familiar with organized criminal syndicates, whether it be the mafia, the mob, the Yakuza, etc. They are typically viewed as violent, chaotic, criminal organizations constantly under attack and surveillance by the federal government. The latter may be the most truthful accusation leveled, but believe it or not, there is a lot libertarians and anarchists can learn from organized crime as they build Second Realms.

This is something none-other than Dr. Murray Rothbard recognized (p. 295), in addition to Smuggler and XYZ, the authors of Second Realm: Book on Strategy.

Not only have these organizations existed for centuries, but they have flourished; they have their own internal arbitration system, private defense and security, they utilize temporary autonomous zones to make them more invulnerable to coercion, and they have similar ethical and moral codes that are strictly adhered to; a sort of parallel society to put it another way.

It’s worth noting that, as strict as some of their moral and ethical codes may have been, they still participate in behavior that violates personal autonomy; we are not overlooking this, but rather honing in on our focus on the relevant material.