non-aggression-principle

Non-Aggression Principle

Plain-English definition

The Non-Aggression Principle (NAP) holds that initiating physical force, or the threat of force, against peaceful people or their property is morally illegitimate. Defensive force is allowed; aggression is not. Voluntary association and exchange are the moral default.

Key thinkers

• Murray Rothbard — argued the NAP is the foundation of libertarian ethics.
• Lysander Spooner — argued that no government can claim consent from those it taxes and conscripts.
• Hans-Hermann Hoppe — derives the NAP from the logic of argumentation itself.

Reasoning checklist

1. Does the policy initiate, threaten, or expand force against peaceful people or their property?
2. Is participation voluntary, or compelled by penalty?
3. Are dissenters punished, fined, or imprisoned for opting out?
4. Does it broaden the scope of state coercion — new offences, more enforcement, longer sentences?
5. Could the stated goal be achieved by voluntary contract or association?

Praise check

Policies that reduce state coercion — decriminalising peaceful behaviour, lowering penalties, removing licensing requirements, allowing opt-outs — align with the NAP.

Output guidance

Express findings in plain everyday language in the output language passed by the orchestrator. The first time the term "Non-Aggression Principle" appears, follow it with a one-line everyday explanation (e.g., "the idea that it's wrong to start a fight; only self-defence is allowed").