> less coercion and more voluntary cooperation in space The state isn't the only form or coercion. Given the high cost of accessing space and the extreme resou

> less coercion and more voluntary cooperation in space The state isn't the only form or coercion. Given the high cost of accessing space and the extreme resource constraints, space is likely to be dominated by multinationals and billionaires. Some forms of feudalism where serfs must pay rent for their land or otherwise starve are technically still a free market, just one where the market power is extremely asymmetric. "Voluntary cooperation" implies options and a liquid competitive market. If your Mars colony is going to die and you ask mine for resources to bail you out, and I condition that on being the supreme emperor of your colony, that rapidly degrades. Further, there is no reason to believe firms won't engage in straight up theft and warfare. If you just captured an asteroid that has enough rare earth metals to collapse the prices on Earth and space isn't governed by our laws, then many companies would be funding a mercenary army to take that asteroid from you.