"There are several methods of conflict resolution. First, there's the market mechanism -- let the highest bidder be the one who owns and decides how the land will be used. Then, there's government fiat, where the government dictates who gets to use the land for what purpose. Gifts might be the way where an owner arbitrarily chooses a recipient. Finally, violence is a way to resolve the question of who has the use rights to the coastline -- let people get weapons and physically fight it out. At this juncture, some might piously say, "Violence is no way to resolve conflict!" The heck it isn't. The decision of who had the right to use most of the Earth's surface was settled through violence (wars). Who has the right to the income I earn is partially settled through the threats of violence. In fact, violence is such an effective means of resolving conflict that most governments want a monopoly on its use."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Journalists from the United StatesColumnists from the United StatesPeople from PhiladelphiaAfrican AmericansEconomists from the United States
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Imported from EN Wikiquote
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Walter_E._Williams
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Walter E. Williams
37 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Walter E. Williams →
Related Quotes
"If FDA officials err on the side of under-caution in approving an unsafe drug, they are attacked by the media and pat…"
"In 302, the Roman emperor Diocletian commanded "there should be cheapness," declaring, "Unprincipled greed appears wh…"
"I personally believe that economics is fun and valuable. People who say they found it a nightmare in college just did…"
"Three-fifths to two-thirds of the federal budget consists of taking property from one American and giving it to anoth…"
"We're all grossly ignorant about most things that we use and encounter in our daily lives, but each of us is knowledg…"
"At the beginning of each semester, I tell students that my economic theory course will deal with positive, non-normat…"
""You can never be too safe." Yes, you can. How many of us bother to inspect the hydraulic brake lines in our cars bef…"
"there's the claim that this or that price is unreasonable. I used to have conversations about this claim with Mrs. Wi…"
""It's wrong to profit from the misfortune of others." I ask my students whether they'd support a law against doing so…"
"There is no moral argument that justifies using the coercive powers of government to force one person to bear the exp…"