# Non-Aggression Principle The **Non-Aggression Principle (NAP)** is the foundational ethical axiom of libertarianism: that the *initiation* of physical force against persons or property — or the threat of such, or fraud — is inherently illegitimate. Defensive force is permitted (though radicals like [[Robert LeFevre]] rejected even that); what is forbidden is *starting* it. It is the moral engine behind the libertarian view that taxation and most government action are forms of coercion. ## The core claim Under the NAP, "aggression" is defined narrowly and specifically as the initiation of force or fraud. From this single premise libertarians derive far-reaching conclusions: - Taxation is theft (the coerced taking of property). - Regulation, conscription, and most state functions are aggression. - Voluntary exchange between consenting individuals is the only legitimate basis for social order. The principle was central to the thought of theorists such as [[Murray Rothbard]] and is promoted by the [[Mises Institute]]. It connects directly to LeFevre's idiosyncratic concept of [[Molestation (Libertarianism)]] — the subversion of another's will — and to claims that "[[Natural Law]]" overrides the authority of the state. ## Why it appears in the Octopus story In [[Dave Troy]]'s "[[The Big History Behind January 6th]]" Part 5, the NAP is the philosophical backbone of a lineage running from LeFevre's [[Freedom School]] to the anti-central-bank, anti-government messaging of new-age conspiracy media (e.g. the film *Thrive*). The principle is intellectually serious in its own right; the point is that its "all government is aggression" framing has repeatedly been fused with conspiracist and antisemitic narratives that recast bankers and the state as literal predators. ## See also - [[Molestation (Libertarianism)]] · [[Robert LeFevre]] · [[Murray Rothbard]] · [[Natural Law]]