RE: When Taxation is Not Theft

You are viewing a single comment's thread from:

When Taxation is Not Theft

in taxation •  7 years ago 

I've read it. Rothbard, and the Austrians in general, are wrong though. The narrative of the Austrians, laid out in Carl Menger's "The Origin of Money," and picked up by Rothbard, is that barter precedes money. That's historically false. Barter, in actuality, historically emerged in economies that had previously used money. Barter follows currency collapses, but money actually precedes barter, historically. Primitive economies, prior to the emergence of money, almost never used barter. There was no market. Instead, their economy was more of an informal "gift" economy, only the gifts weren't free gifts but seen as obligating the receiver to give in turn when called upon. It is sometimes called a "gift economy," but it's really more of an informal credit system.

A good read on that subject is "Debt: The First 5,000 Years" by the anarchist anthologist David Graeber. Although the title is "Debt," its really more of a history of money.

Authors get paid when people like you upvote their post.
If you enjoyed what you read here, create your account today and start earning FREE STEEM!
Sort Order:  

Your assertions are comical.

To know which came first (barter or money)...

You would have to have been alive at all times and everywhere at once. And have knowledge of most transactions.

If you believe that history books provide the answers, that would be even more comical.

God knows which came first. You don't.