[ExI] Usages of the term libertarianism

[Stefano Vaj]

On 2 June 2011 04:38, Rafal Smigrodzki <rafal.smigrodzki at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Mon, May 30, 2011 at 2:40 PM, Kelly Anderson <kellycoinguy at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > Correct. Price dumping and monopolies are within the libertarian tent.
>
> ### Not monopolies. You can't maintain a monopoly (i.e. a single
> provider capable of dictating above-market prices) without using state
> or state-like violence. Really, it is not possible. You can have a
> monopoly that charges a market price (e.g. Alcoa) but an above-market
> monopoly without direct violence is a figment of progressive
> imagination.
>

I suspect on the contrary that "natural" monopolies do exist. Take for
instance the IT world, where a good-enough program can establish a
stronghold simply out of time-to-market, by becoming a de-facto standard
invulnerable to any technical prowess or lower price by competitors'
products.

It remains to be seen whether such monopolies should be fought, OTOH.
According to some theories, funds for private R&D, especially
breakthrough-oriented R&D, can exist in a market society only inasmuch as
the market is not perfectly efficient, and allows for some "parasitic" extra
margins that allow its financing.

-- 
Stefano Vaj
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