Bitarch’s Column

This book is a structured collection of the most significant articles from the LiveJournal blog of the well-known libertarian philosopher Oleg Tarakanov (“Laxy Catal”). The articles are presented in full and unaltered, without edits from the compiler.

In the opinion of the compiler, Tarakanov’s work examines the most realistic model of social organization in terms of current implementation possibilities. It is designed to solve the ever-multiplying problems of people in nearly all modern states based on territorial monopoly and the “tyranny of the majority.”

Oleg Tarakanov himself uses the term he coined, “insurance roofs,” instead of the word “panarchy,” but the compiler found it possible to use the more commonly accepted concept. Panarchy does not aim for the complete destruction of the state, but advocates for the abolition of its territorial monopoly and for voluntary participation in it. It is a system of extraterritorial contractual (and/or competing) jurisdictions (ECJs), in which different people can choose their own “virtual state” while residing in the same territory.

Such an approach ensures competition between jurisdictions, forcing them to spend budgets more efficiently and not infringe upon the personal and economic freedoms of citizens. But more importantly, people gain the opportunity to live by the rules that are closest to them personally, rather than those that were imposed by the will of the majority living in a particular territory. After all, in an ordinary territorial state, only a small portion are actually able to emigrate, while others are forced to endure anything, which is precisely what governments exploit, ignoring their interests.

I can assume that some convinced followers of Rothbard will not consider panarchy to be true libertarianism. Nevertheless, compared to unstable minarchism and difficult-to-implement anarcho-capitalism (ancap), panarchy is the most realistic and easily “sellable to people” option for moving away from the current sad state of affairs. In a mode of panarchy, diplomats already live according to international agreements, so we are talking merely about the large-scale implementation of a ready-made mechanism that has already proven itself.

If you did not like the potestatic (“force-based”) approach to bringing under jurisdiction and the enforcement of court decisions in Oleg Tarakanov’s model, do not turn away from the idea of panarchy entirely. Consider the Bitnation project, where all of this is carried out absolutely without any coercion based on a blockchain reputation system.

You can ask your question regarding panarchy and libertarianism on the Ancap-tyan website, in the VK public “Anti-state”, and on my page.

Bitarch