The existence of the Law Merchant demonstrates that a peaceful society without government can produce objective laws defining the boundaries of rights.
Onkar Ghate (2019) and Harry Binswanger (2019) both defend this view. Ghate uses two scenarios involving individuals in a state of nature. Suppose you are by yourself on a desert island, and you domesticate a pig. Then someone from a neighboring tribe steals it. Do you have a right to retaliate by stealing some of his property, or stealing from his relatives? Again, suppose Robinson Crusoe and Friday are strangers sharing an island, and Crusoe invents a superior spear. Does Friday have a right t