I really struggle to conceive how society could function without some form of governance.
Might I suggest you take a look at Chaos Theory by Dr. Bob Murphy.
The short version is most anarchists of the free market type agree with you. We have many forms of voluntary governance today. Governance is needed. It doesn't have to be a single entity with a monopoly on violence. Many competing governance providers could accomplish the various functions of the state in a less violence and more efficient way. There are hundreds of podcasts with guests talking about this on the Tom Woods show for example. It took me several years of asking specific questions and finding answer before I got it.
Now the caveat. No one know how this will come about. No one knows how it will work out. But, every single time I get push back on private governance the objections are literally descriptions of the status quo. My hope is that we see a slow replacement of the state's monopoly on violence over time. Bit by bit. Bitcoin is a key to this being possible. Starving the beast. I think one issue with people getting their head around this is that they do not truly understand the level of harm and death the state has brought.
The other aspect that really blows my mind now is how much of the functions of governance are possible and actually done by private companies and apps now. Yes, there are issue. Yes it isn't perfect but I'd rather live in a word driven by competition and profit than rent seeking.
Practically speaking though, this won't come about as long as people like us stay in our heads. We must move towards freedom in our personal lives. Another enjoyable book to read on anarchy that is an anthology is The Anarchist's Handbook by Michael Malice. Another book is Democracy, the God that Failed.
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Good answer. 'Government' and 'Governance' misunderstandings.
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