Chapter 1: Introduction

The purpose of the VoTa constitution is to place clear constraints on the state so that society can flourish when those constraints are upheld. It is more than a set of rules. It is a safeguard for liberty and a foundation for prosperity.

For a constitution it is unusually detailed, technical, and precise. This level of specificity is necessary because the approach is radical, and its justification requires a deep, carefully reasoned solution.

Yet beneath that detail lies a small set of principles, applied without compromise. Much of what appears radical follows directly from adhering to these principles consistently.

Foremost among them are the Non‑Aggression Principle (NAP) and the Non‑Discrimination Principle (NDP). The latter, in particular, has far‑reaching and often surprising consequences.

A state is commonly taken to mean an institution claiming territorial monopolies over coercion and taxation, implying that by definition a state violates the NAP. We instead define a state more widely, so as to include an institution in which the majority of the residents in a territory are citizens of the state, and the state imposes the NAP on itself and the people through property rights, a rule of law, a judiciary, and police. This raises the question of how such a state can exist without the ability to impose coercive taxation. VoTa nevertheless claims to make paying taxes the rational choice!