Seasteading

I read (and for some, re-read) some articles this morning that really struck me as brilliant. Seasteading is an idea to build autonomous, independent, sovereign states on the sea (in international waters) and use these seasteads as incubators of ideas. Many libertarians have latched onto the idea of seasteading and have made financial contributions to the project. I think the idea is a good one, even though there are many challenges to a fully-functioning and independent seastead. Some of the challenges involve the  comfort of the residents (sea storms can make residents sick because of the back-and-forth rocking of the seastead). Other challenges involve possible invasion from other nations (to stop some of the possible activities happening there), unfriendly maritime law, and the upkeep of the place.

The reason why I say that seasteading is a brilliant idea is the following: someone needs to demonstrate (or re-demonstrate if we count some of the early Americans) that everyone is better off when left to choose for themselves. The poor are taken care of better when free people can use their money to freely give (instead of being forced by a government to give to welfare). Sure, there will be people that make "wrong" or "bad" decisions (I put these words in quotes, not to argue for moral relativism but to argue that some things are only wrong or bad because the government doesn't think we should do it), but a freer people would also be able to do more good and would be more accountable to God for their actions.

I hope that one day (2015?), seasteading becomes a reality.


Here are the internet sources to which I went for information:
http://www.benzinga.com/general/politics/11/08/1862462/want-out-seasteading-libertarian-hamlets-may-be-the-answer
http://www.economist.com/node/21540395
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/18/peter-thiel-seasteading_n_930595.html