On Sun, Apr 15, 2001 at 07:26:24PM -0700, Tim May wrote:
And my point is a very serious one: saying that "anarchy" cannot work in markets is not much different from saying anarchy (uncoerced transactions) cannot work in areas where in fact uncoerced transactions are the _norm_.
Right. It's like telling a statist that certain government programs and regulatory systems aren't absolutely necessary. Their initial reaction is to disbelieve this notion: "But how would it work?" To phrase Tim's point another way, taking some liberties: If there is sufficient market demand for a product or service, it will become available, whether or not the government regulates it, encourages it, or prohibits it. If we knew tomorrow that copyright law would disappear in 10 years, the market would move to continue a system where new content would be available -- the incentives are too strong to ignore. Obviously ease of avoiding regulation and technological advances aiding reputational systems are big variables too. -Declan