The pseudonym "Philo Vaihinger" has been abandoned. All posts have been and are written by me, Joseph Auclair.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Libertarianism and colonialism

I am not at all sure how libertarianism handles political issues inherent in colonialism, though I am fairly sure there is nothing in its doctrines of property or government to prevent it.

Imagine highly advanced nation A begins to settle and economically exploit more or less empty parts of faraway geographic region B, the whole of which is somewhat sparsely inhabited by several peoples of a stone age, semi-nomadic, and essentially hunting and food gathering culture.

So great is this gap, in fact, that there is no role in the settler economy that could be usefully played by voluntary native labor; and there is no question of the settlers using involuntary labor.

To prevent conflict with competing advanced nation C, A declares the whole of region B subject to its control.

This has little impact on a few of the indigenous people, and none on nearly all.

The indigenous culture and economy are as close to totally untouched as makes no difference.

The power in B of nation A is mostly used to keep out those competitors, mentioned above, to prevent occasional thefts of settler property or attacks on settlements by indigenous individuals or groups, and to provide police and government for nation A’s own colonists.

It is not in any sense used to govern the indigenous peoples who continue to live according to their own ways, subject to their customary leaders, however formal or informal.

Eventually, the settlers of nationality A in B achieve independence and sovereignty with regard to nation A, continuing their mutually useful economic and cultural relations.

Meanwhile, life goes on for the indigenous of B much as though nothing had happened and the alien civilization of the settlers has no significant impact on them or their ways, and vice versa.

Having had no political role in the originally colonial government of the region by nation A, the natives now have no role in the “national” government of the new settler state of B, controlled by the settlers from A and their descendants.

I gather there is nothing in libertarianism that would prevent the settler society from simply ignoring the indigenous society or societies in region B, forever.

And yet I cannot imagine liberals accepting such a situation for any length of time.

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