Non-Aggression Principle

The Non-Aggression Principle or NAP(also called the Non-Aggression Axiom, Anti-Coercion Principle, or Zero Aggression Principle) is a deontological ethical stance associated with the Anarcho-capitalist school of Libertarianism (consequentialist libertarians do not base their libertarianism on it). It is an axiom of some forms of anarchism, and also held by many political conservatives, traditionalists and natural law theory. The principle of non-aggression exists in various forms in the faith traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as well as Eastern philosophies such as Confucianism.[citation needed] It holds that "aggression", which is defined as the initiation of physical force, the threat of such, or fraud upon persons or their property, is inherently illegitimate. In contrast to pacifism, the non-aggression principle does not preclude defense.

Right wing-libertarians typically believe that the non-aggression principle includes property as a part of the owner; to aggress against someone's property is to aggress against the individual. Thus, the principle leads to the rejection of theft, vandalism, murder and fraud. When applied to governments, it has been taken to prohibit many policies including taxation, the military draft, and individual participation in non-defensive state wars. When taken to the logical conclusion, anarchists argue that it calls for abolition of the state itself and protecting individuals from aggression through voluntary payments rather than taxation.

The United States Libertarian Party and others view it as an essential tenet of all libertarian thought. The principle has been derived by various philosophical approaches, including natural law, contractarianism, and Objectivism. Murray Rothbard derived the principle from self-ownership. Ayn Rand derived it from the right to life.

\|/  |

This article originates from or includes content from the public domain Libertarianwiki.