ABSTRACT
We now look at the opposite end of the political spectrum and ask how people govern themselves in the initially appealing con ditions of the 'non-state'. Usually it is not that the state has withered away, but rather that it has never blossomed. To what extent, then, is community life feasible without the state govern ment we take for granted ? Can the spirit of the hippy commune sustain substantial viable groups ? How large are the biggest com munities that can be held together by 'minimal government', and what are their characteristics ? W hat does politics mean in such circumstances ? How much social discipline is required, and how is it applied ? What limits the unfettered pursuit of self-interest and constrains violence ?
