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The view proposing a minimal state is known as Minarchism , and is a core part of the Libertarian ideology. Minarchists propose to enforce a night watchman state with a clearly-defined Constitution on the government's powers, and may also see it necessary to ensure the constitution cannot be amended after adoption. To ensure that the government does not breach the constitution, some minarchists are proponents of the Right To Bear Arms , assuming that citizens would support the minarchist constitution and arguing that the right to bear arms would enable them to defend themselves and the constitution, preserving the minimal state. Minarchists in the United States interpret this as the meaning behind the Second Amendment To The United States Constitution . ARGUMENTS FOR A NIGHT WATCHMAN STATE Minarchists argue that the state has no right to interfere in free transactions between people, and see the state's sole responsibility as ensuring that transactions between private individuals are free. In general, the majority of minarchists use ), and that any further extension of government is inherently evil, even if it leads to good consequences. The Objectivist Philosophy of Ayn Rand is notable for its support of this view. Other minarchists, however, also attempt to bring Consequentialist arguments. Popperian libertarians argue that institutions and cultures Evolve best without external interference from government. The adherents of the Austrian School believe that any state intervention in the economy is harmful. ARGUMENTS AGAINST A NIGHT WATCHMAN STATE The groups of people who disagree with the notion of a minimal state are far more diverse than those who support it, and include nearly all political views other than libertarianism. Objections to the idea of a minimal state are likewise very diverse. The most widespread objection is that there is simply no ''need'' to reduce the government's attributions to such a minimal level using a rigid and inflexible minarchist constitution, and that it is best to evaluate the merits of government intervention in each issue on a case-by-case basis. If the powers of the night watchman state are limited by a constitution which cannot be amended by the people, then it is Undemocratic . A night watchman state would also have no Social Contract , and would be unable to deal with many practical matters, such as economic Recession s (''see Keynesian Economics ''). In addition, specific political orientations and ideologies have specific objections to a night watchman state. Socialists and Social Liberals argue that it is the responsibility of government to provide care for the less well-off or disabled through a Welfare State , while Socially Conservatives argue that the state should maintain a Moral outlook. Finally, a unique kind of criticism comes from Anarchists , who argue that no state — not even a night watchman one — should exist. SEE ALSO |