Oppressive Governments

Whenever individuals are prevented from pursuing their own goals as they see fit, commerce suffers, the vitality of business is eroded, and ultimately the state's power in its external relations declines. Oppressive systems therefore generally ensure protection of life because individuals know how to avoid any governmental encroachments. It is the government that limits the power amasses by other institutions. " Thus even if a government is oppressive, it still acts as an enforcement mechanism by regulating interaction between individuals and preventing them from encroaching on each other's rights, therefore securing a greater degree of freedom for individuals. These institution may be corporations, trade unions, churches or other voluntary affiliations, and there is no reason to assume that without government checks they could not become equally oppressive. In other words, the mere existence of a government allows for society as a whole to have a defense mechanism against foreign powers because a government must provide such protection in order to preserve itself. Thus society under an oppressive government is more desirable because it ensures a minimum protection of rights that the negative can in no way ensure. The absence of a government, however, would leave individuals defenseless from outside aggressors. Thus we can only conclude that an oppressive government is more desirable than no government. t because government, in any form, provides certain advantages that are impossible for the state of nature to provide.

My Second Contention is oppression is not limited to governments. John Simmons agrees that, "The attempt to get another in one's power indicates precisely an intention not to kill but rather only to control or use another in some way. (This attempt) shows a design only on the their freedom, not on their lives (since individuals) are valueless without their lives.