Anarchy and Markets

An anarchist has a fine colloquy with his liberal friend, in part:

Free markets involve volitional exchanges between people expressing what they believe and want to do. Of course the market includes more than physical products; it includes education, advice, religious services, art, charity, entertainment, yoga and ideas. Physical interference with this process prevents some people from doing what they want to do, while forcing others to do what they don’t want to do. Such interference denies the ethics underlying the free expression of beliefs and the freedom to accept or reject the beliefs of others.

I emailed the author on this and offered: Free markets are markets.  The economy may include more than physical products but charity, religion, violence, etc are mot market events.  Building a house and selling it is a market event and an economic event.  The house burning down is a economic event, but not a market event.  I think our foes back us into a corner when we ascribe too much, or all, to markets, of even free markets.  Religious experience, getting angry or falling in love is neither market not economic.  it seems to me that most of life is neither market nor economic.  I think this distinction disarms those who claim anarchists and free-marketers believe all is a financial transaction, all can be reduced to the market.

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